Fallen Under
by VenomQuill
Summary: (UFell) Mt. Ebott is famous for the woods that a child may wander into and never return. In legend, monsters snapped up children from villages, hid in dark corners, and ate the souls of the weak or unprepared. When a young child chooses to flee into the mountain rather than face human capture, they find out that these monsters might not just be characters in old children's stories.
1. The Ruins- Scramble

**Chapter One**

 _Scramble_

The ebony night that once stole the forest had begun to die under the sharp, golden rays of the sun. Clouds, now various shades of pink, scuttled across the gently lightening sky. Trees, swaying in the gentle autumn breeze, provided a perch in which to house the hundreds of forest critters that dwelled within. Birds shook off the night's chill and began to greet the morning with their sweet morning songs. Serenity lay upon the forest animals on the mountain that humans had dubbed "Mount Ebott".

The tranquility of the forest, however, was not to last. As is the nature of things, peace was not often left alone. This time, the peace was not broken by a prowling cat, a hungry wolf pack, or a patrolling hunting party. This time, leaves were thrown into the air by the frightened feet of a young human and the far-off thumping of the human's fear.

The young one crashed through the trees, trampled brush, and rushed through grass. Their blind, fast stumble was heavy and uncoordinated. Some distance away, heavy thumping shattered branches and disturbed the leaves. The young one raced through the forest for what seemed like centuries. Finally, however, the young one's bound was ceased. They stumbled to a stop and looked ahead. A cave's mouth gaped ahead of them. The child's fluttering heart pumped oxygen to their scrambled brain in an intense attempt to decide what to do. If they ran into the cave, they'd surely run into a dead end- or worse. They might become injured. The last thing they needed was an injury. Yet, if they kept running, they'd eventually get too tired to keep moving. Then they'd be caught by–

The young one squealed in terror as a hardy branch behind them shattered under a heavy boot. They darted forward. Ahead of them, just inside the cave, was a wide, jagged hole. Vines crept and slithered through the underbrush and over the stone. The young one looked about, breath coming in gasps. On either side of the hole were small footpaths. They were just wide enough for small feet to cross, but too small for wide boots to cross without breaking them. Without a look back, they attempted to get to the left side, which looked a bit more stable. Unfortunately, the vines that snaked over the ground wouldn't have it.

The young one's foot was caught on a vine. With a shrill squeal, the child staggered and fell forward. She heard the heavy footsteps trample forward before stopping. The chase was over. The young one's terrified scramble was over. They realized this fact as they fell deeper and deeper into the traitorous cavern they attempted to find shelter within.

A shaky breath escaped the little chest of the fallen child. Their glistening brown eyes slowly opened. Their left eye was completely clouded and unusable. Their right one was blurry to the point of legal blindness, though they could still see blurry shapes and most colors. Before they could take in their surroundings, a golden flower tickled their nose. They let out a small sneeze and sat up. They rubbed their eyes and looked about. Ancient pillars rose from the ground around the small cavern. Most of the ground on the cavern was dirt with scruffy grass yearning to soak in the meager sunlight that filtered in through the hole in the ceiling. The edges of the cavern untouched by sunlight were a consistent brown as stone-flecked dirt made the ground around them. However, most of the grass was overshadowed by the large patch of blossoming golden flowers.

They looked about in confusion. Flowers…? Suddenly, a monotonous, soft voice breathed into their ears _, "It's a bed of golden flowers. They must have broken your fall."_ The young one jumped and looked about. However, not one living thing was in the vicinity- human or otherwise. There was a hole in the wall where a tunnel started. Yet nothing was in it.

They shook their head and got up. Some seeds stubbornly stuck to their blue-and-pink striped shirt. They sighed and brushed off the seeds as best they could before they stepped onto the dirt and stone. It was then they noticed a branch had fallen with them. It hadn't shattered as it, too, fell on the flowers. It was just light and small enough for them to hold.

The young one took the branch and slowly turned and walked into the tunnel. The tunnel itself was short. Just out of sight of the golden flowers, it took a sharp turn. A pair of purple, cracked pillars created a doorway. There might have been a door there, at one point in time. However, the ruined pillars had cracks and holes where the fixtures could have been. Broken stone lay on the other side. It was so old, it nearly blended into the ground.

The young one continued forward. Just before them, a broken beam of sunlight filtered through the stone above. Green grass tentatively poked out of the ground under it. In the center of the beam was as single golden flower, bend as if wilted. They tipped their head in confusion. Usually, a flower was not found alone unless it was planted alone. Yet, what could've planted it? Were there people? The young one's heart fluttered. Oh! Maybe there were people! Maybe there were people that could help them! After all, soreness from the fall and the run through the forest still stung their muscles.

Their curious steps continued a bit farther before halting. The flower, despite the cave having no form of wind, moved. It straightened its little green stem and its flower head turned until the face of the tattered flower faced them. The young one gasped and took a step back. Two wide eyes popped out of the little flower's face. A concerned expression of shock dressed its features. When the young one didn't make another move, the flower's look of shock evaporated. It instead put on a friendly smile. "Howdy! I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!" When the young human didn't respond, the flower's smile faltered. "Uh… You're new to the underground, arent'cha?"

The young human nodded. Somehow, a flower was talking to them. Was this a dream? Had they died in that fall? Was a flower named Flowey the gate keeper of the afterlife? No, no usually skeletons or cats were considered gatekeepers. Maybe the stories they read were wrong? They very could be. After all, no one died and lived to tell the tale.

Flowey's small smile widened into a happier grin at their participation. However, it quickly began to fall. "Golly! You must be pretty worried."

The young human nodded.

The flower looked back at the darkness behind him and then forward. "Y-you'd better leave! Go back home!" A sudden urgency spiked his voice. "Th-they're coming! They always come. I-If you don't leave, they, _Toriel_ , will find you!"

The young human's eyes grew round. Was there a demon there? Were they not allowed to be in the afterlife? Or was there a soul-stealing demon nearby?

"C-can you even speak? Can you hear me?" Flowey inquired. After a short pause, Flowey prompted, "What's your name?"

The young human hesitated and choked, "F-Frisk."

Flowey hesitated and then nodded. "Frisk? Oh. W-well good! You can understand me, then, Frisk. Now, you have to leave!"

Frisk shook their head. "I can't! I fell and there is no way back up!"

Flowey grimaced and took a deep breath. "Oh no. This is not good. W-well, you'll have to find some other way out, then! Can you climb?"

They shook their head. "No! I can't climb. I came here for a way out! Can you help me, Flowey?"

Flowey closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes. I-I think I can. You're not the first human to fall down here. You probably won't be the last. _Toriel_ has found every one of them. But maybe, maybe I can help you. Yes! Now, she should be here any moment. We should–" Flowey's words were cut off in a gasp.

A fuzzy white form stepped from the shadows. A scarlet and deep pink dress imprinted with an insignia of triangles interrupted the white fur of the creature's torso, waist, and legs. A head, angular like a goat's but rounded like a human, was bowed so that her sharp red eyes trained on the flower and the human. Two small horns glinted in the light. After inspecting the young one to confirm their presence and checking the flower to confirm her suspicions of his interaction with them, she bared her fanged teeth in a threatening snarl. Her fingers sparked and now glowed in the baby blue fire that now twirled around her furry fingers. "What is such a terrible little weed doing here, tormenting such a small, innocent youth?"

Flowey cowered beneath Toriel, eyes round in shock and fear. "H-human! Run! Now!"

The young one jumped, eyes round in fear. The beast was at least twice Frisk's height. The creature's blood red eyes flicked to the child. Her snarl vanished in a moment. "Oh, my child! Don't fear! This horrible little weed is trying to scare you!" The young one took a step back. The beast's eyes flicked to the flower and then to the human. Her voice softened into a sweet coo, "Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come down here in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs!"

The young one swallowed and looked between the beast, who'd quenched the flames in her hand and relaxed considerably, and Flowey, who still cowered in her shadow. "But he isn't doing anything wrong!"

Toriel replied in the same gentle coo she'd adopted earlier, "No, my child. He's an evil creature. He was trying to deceive and scare you. He told you I did bad things. He was telling you that it was awful down here, didn't he?"

Flowey squeaked but otherwise didn't defend himself.

The human took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. Maybe he's scared! Like me! Maybe someone hurt him, too. Please don't hurt him."

Toriel's sharp maroon eyes met Flowey's. The flower averted his gaze. "You do not understand young one… ah. But _I_ understand. You think he is a friend, do you not?"

Frisk gave her a small nod. "He's scared. Maybe he could be a friend!"

"Very well, my child." Toriel bared her teeth in a smile. Somehow, her teeth looked much less sharp and threatening now. "He did not hurt you, after all. But you look hurt. Come! Let me heal you." She knelt and held out her hand.

The child took a few tentative steps forward. Toriel set a large, furry hand over their heart. A few green flickers, like sparks from a fourth of July sparkler, lit up the air around her fingers. Suddenly, the soreness that stole the human had vanished. Before Frisk could react to this healing magic, the goat mother stood up and gave them another patient smile. "Feel better? Good. This way." With that, Toriel turned and walked toward the other end of the spacious room where another ancient doorway stood, again without a door.

The young human looked down at Flowey. The flower looked up at the young one. "Um… go ahead. I'll follow."

The child nodded and followed Toriel out of the room and into another. The flower vanished. This room was made up of brilliant purple bricks. Brick walls with a stone floor and a stone ceiling made up the small room. Two pillars held stable the sides. At the very end, two staircases flowed from the floor up to a raised platform at the end of the room. Another empty doorway, this time flanked by vines, stood vigil over the room. Before that, though, was a bright pile of scarlet, crunchy leaves.

A sparkle, star-shaped and glowing in soft, golden light, hovered above the red-leafed ground. Frisk perked up as they followed Toriel to the end of the room. Upon approaching the yellow light, they stuck their hand out. Their fingers brushed the edges of the light. Although there was no matter there, which was surprising as it looked solid, heat flowed through them. A feeling that Frisk had never felt before coursed through her veins. It gave them confidence and happiness. The familiar, soft voice beside them piped up again, _"The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination."_

A short tap of Toriel's foot reminded them that the monster was still guiding them. Frisk skittered up the stairs and followed her into the next room. This one was small enough to be a bedroom. However, it was definitely _not_ a bedroom. It, like the previous room, was purple-bricked and purple-floored. A lighter purple pathway led from the door to the exact other side of the room where there was another doorway This time, there _was_ a door blocking the way. To the right side of the room was a strip of lighter purple ground flanked by two buttons on either side and two buttons in the middle.

"Welcome to your new home, young one," Toriel greeted, hands over her abdomen and smile broad. "Allow me to educate you in the operation of The Ruins." She promptly turned and walked over the buttons on the ground. She pressed down all four buttons that flanked the light strip of ground. Then, she approached the wall on the opposite side of the room. Her large fingers flicked down a golden switch that the child hadn't noticed before. The door beside her, flanked by a large grey sign, opened. Toriel turned and walked back to the human. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient diversions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." Toriel glanced back at the floor puzzle before she turned and moved through the newly opened door.

Frisk hesitated and walked through the door. They looked about in surprise. The room before them was not a room at all. It was a wide hallway that ran quite a long way to the right. Two small creeks covered by two bridges broke the stone. The human looked about and walked further into the lighter stone path.

Toriel smiled at their approach. "To make progress here, you will need to pull several switches." With that, the monster turned and walked across one of the bridges. The human hurried to follow suit. However, it was not long before Toriel stopped, this time in front of the bridge. The young human stopped behind her. When Toriel didn't move any farther, the human looked about. There, they found a golden switch, just like the one in the other room, between the two bridges. A light strip of purple diverged from the path and to the switch. Confident, the human tromped over to the switch. After a short time of feeling it, they found the handle and activated it. A small _click_ rewarded them. Toriel nodded and continued. Frisk was very quick to heel.

Again, Toriel stopped. This time, it was in front of the doorway that led out. A large number of spikes raised from the ground under the doorway. The human looked over to the wall on the left. There were two switches. However, the light purple path only led to the one on the left, not the right. The human looked back at Toriel and cautiously activated the one on the left. A thick, heavy _thud_ came in answer. Frisk jumped and spun around. The spikes were gone.

"Splendid!" Toriel purred. "Let us move to the next room." The human followed without question. This time, they ended up in another small room. There was no puzzle here. Instead, the only thing that occupied the small space was a dummy. Toriel went on, "As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight. While you are in a fight, your soul will be exposed. That will make you weak to an enemy's attack. So, you must hit them before they hit you! Practice fighting with the dummy." Toriel waved her hand to the stuffed dummy.

The human looked back at Toriel before approaching the dummy. Toriel strode to their side and held up her hand. Frisk gasped and took a step backward as a brilliant red heart phased through their chest. For some reason, they could see their soul in complete clarity while everything else was but a blur. It gave off a gentle heat that warmed their chest. Toriel explained in a calm, patient tone, "This is your soul, the very culmination of your being! If a monster tries to attack you, it will aim here. So, you must protect yourself at all costs. Now, give the dummy a good hit!"

Frisk looked at Toriel and then the dummy. They picked up their stick in both hands. The dummy did not react. Of course it wouldn't react; it wasn't real. The human smacked it. It shuttered, but otherwise did not move. Toriel's patient smile dissolved into a disappointed frown. She sighed, "Well, we can work on it later. Come now, we have more to explore." Frisk looked up at her with round eyes before following her. Frisk disappointing her. For some reason, that simple frown made them feel worse than seeing her anger.


	2. The Ruins- First Call

Chapter Two

 _First Call_

The next room in which they encountered was another wide hallway. This one wasn't too long. The lighter purple path in it was different, however. It snaked back and forth as it progressed down the hallway. "There is another puzzle in this room… you should be able to solve it." Toriel continued down the path. Frisk was quick to her heel.

At the end, they went through another small hallway. This one had a gray sign at the edge. The human jumped in fright as a snowy white frog crossed their path. The horned frog creature shook itself in indignance as the human nearly stepped on it. The human's soul appeared before them. They were in a fight.

Frisk looked at their stick and then the frog.

A soft voice piped up, _"Froggit- Attack 4, Defense 5. HP 30. Life is difficult for this enemy."_

The human's eyes went soft. Oh, the poor thing! The young one jumped upon hearing Toriel's snarl. The froggit croaked and fled. The human's soul vanished. Toriel turned and kept walking.

When they exited this small hallway, they encountered another. A long, thick path of spikes led from the entrance to the exit. The spikes were flanked by deep water. Toriel took a step back. "Well, you should be able to solve this one."

Frisk looked at her in surprise and then around. "Er- I don't know how."

"There are plenty of clues," Toriel prompted and tipped her head to a gray sign on the wall.

"I… can't read," Frisk muttered and shifted from foot to foot. "I'm blind."

"You can't… hmm… Take my hand." Toriel gently took Frisk's hand in hers. Her hand was so soft and furry but it was big enough to envelop their whole hand!

Toriel stepped forward. The spikes before her slid harmlessly into the ground. Encouraged, Frisk mimicked her movements until they were at the end.

Once they got into the next room, which was another long hallway, Toriel stopped. "You have done well thus far. However, I have a request to ask of you. I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself." With that, Toriel turned and rushed down the hallway. Within moments, Toriel was gone. The human gasped and hurried down the hallway. Their heart began to race. What if another monster appeared? What if something wanted to attack them? Would Toriel see it? Would she make it in time?

Frisk yelped in terror as they tripped over a rock and fell flat on their face. There was a short shuffle of feet as if Toriel had come back and immediately retreated again. The young human whimpered in the pain of their injured leg. This time, when Frisk got up, they walked a bit slower to make sure that they made it to the end of the hallway without further injury. Their thoughts were quickly put to rest as Toriel stepped out of the shadow of one of the pillars.

"Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me." Toriel's calm smile easily put the human at ease almost as much as her words. She knelt and hovered her hand over Frisk's chest. They were healed immediately. "However, there was an important reason for this exercise. …to test your independence. I must attend to some business and so you will be alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself." A sudden gasp interrupted her words. "I have an idea. I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call. Be good, alright?"

Frisk nodded and took the cell phone that Toriel provided. "Yes, Toriel."

Toriel smiled and walked out of the room.

The human jumped as a squeaky voice piped up behind them, "Good! She's gone!"

The human spun around. Flowey had sprouted out of the ground behind them. The human sighed. "Oh, Flowey. You came back?"

Flowey dipped his head in a nod. "Of course! I told you I'd help you! Now, we must be very careful. Toriel seems to be acting very nice to you… but it won't last. We have to get out of here."

"If we get out," the human inquired, "-where will we be?"

"W-we'll be in the forest near Snowdin- outside of The Ruins. She won't follow us there," Flowey answered immediately. "We should hurry, though- we don't want to run into anymore monsters."

"Snowdin?" Frisk echoed. "Is it cold there?"

Flowey nodded. "Yes, very cold. It's snowy. But it's better than here."

"Um… why would she stop being nice to me?" Frisk prompted. "She's been very helpful so far."

"Didn't you see?" Flowey prompted. "When you didn't hit the dummy hard enough, she was very displeased. When she found out that you couldn't read, she was even more disappointed. You didn't do well traversing the room by yourself. She will think you're too weak to survive."

"But she'd just train me," Frisk shrugged. "Right?"

Flowey shook his head. "Don't you understand? She seems to like you. She's helping you. But Toriel isn't a nice person. She… let's just focus on getting out of here, alright?"

"But… alright," Frisk mumbled. "Let's get out of here as quickly as we can. I-I don't want to be attacked again." Frisk walked into the next room. It was relatively small with a few patches of red leaves on the purple ground. A door was to the north and, on the wall opposite of their own and in the southern corner, there was another door. Frisk looked about and gasped. The froggit that had attacked them sat before Frisk. However, Frisk's soul didn't appear before them. The froggit tipped its head and croaked. Frisk gave him a small wave. The froggit straightened up and hopped away.

Flowey appeared beside them. "It… ran away?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. Well, I didn't attack it before. Toriel just intimidated it. Maybe the froggit knew I wouldn't hurt it! Then it wasn't so mean anymore!"

The plant shook his head. "I wouldn't say that… maybe it just thought that Toriel would come back to kill it. No one here is very nice at all."

Frisk knelt and squinted at him. She couldn't see Flowey as anything but a blur of white ringed yellow with a green string attaching him to the ground. "Are you hurt?"

"Oh no! I'm not hurt." Flowey shook his head and hesitated. "I'm just a bit… battered is all. Um… let's get moving before any more monsters find us."

Frisk nodded and got up. "Okay. I think we'll need it. Just in case." Frisk turned and walked to the closest door- the one on the north wall. A bowl of candy stood atop a pedestal. Only two were left. Immediately, Frisk took both candies. They put one in their pocket and presented the other to Flowey. "I found some candy! Want it?"

Flowey shook his head. "You don't either. What if it's poisonous?"

"This is a very big bowl. Lots of people must have eaten out of it," Frisk pointed out. "But… I guess we can save it for later."

"I still wouldn't eat it," Flowey denied. "I'm sure that many other monsters fell for it, too. After all, it's much easier poisoning someone than fighting them."

"What do you mean?" Frisk prompted. "Not all monsters fight each other, do they?"

Flowey looked up at them with round eyes. "I'm sorry, Frisk. But this place isn't like the surface. Here, it's kill or _be_ killed."

Frisk gasped. "Oh, that's horrible! …well, I didn't kill that froggit and it didn't attack me. Maybe other monsters are like that."

Flowey sighed. "Maybe. But just don't get your hopes up. Let's keep going." Flowey vanished into the ground and reappeared near the second door.

Frisk gasped and looked about. He was way out of their line of sight. Red blurs interrupted the purple ground. A clear yellow shimmer floated above a red blur. Maybe there was a piece of yellow and green but it was impossible to detect. "Where'd you go?"

"Here!" Flowey called. "Don't yell, okay? I'm by the door at the end of the room."

Frisk nodded and walked down the room. They hesitated beside a bright yellow sparkle. With a slight smile, they touched the glimmering yellow thing. Their fingers passed right through it, just like the first. A warmth seeped through them. Quite suddenly, they didn't feel so scared. They felt courageous, optimistic, determined.

" _Playfully crinkling through the leaves fills you with determination."_ The soft voice spoke to them again. Frisk looked about. There was a flash of color again but it quickly faded. Frisk walked to the door. The small room was split by a dark stripe. A door flanked either end of the stripe. Frisk continued to walk forward. Unfortunately, that was a bad idea. The darker part of the floor gave in under their weight. Frisk gasped and collapsed through the ground.

"Frisk! Oh no. Frisk! Can you hear me?" Flowey called.

"Yeah," Frisk replied tightly. They stood up and looked about. The small room they were in now was split by red leaves. They were crunchy but not hard like stone. So, although falling such a distance hurt, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Two doors flanked the strip of red leaves. Frisk walked up to the door on the right and crawled through the small space provided.

When Flowey spotted them landing with a huff on the other side of the frail floor, he sighed in relief and popped up beside them. "You scared me! Okay, no more of that. Let's get going."

Frisk nodded and walked into the next room. It was occupied by a single rock on a light strip of purple floor. A button was on the end. Just past it was a line of spikes separating them from the door on the other side. Before Frisk could comment, their phone rang. They immediately picked up. Toriel's sweet voice came from the other end of the receiver, "Hello? This is Toriel. For no reason in particular… which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?"

"Um… cinnamon. Why?" Frisk prompted. Flowey stared at them for a few seconds before vanishing into the floor. He appeared beside the rock and started pushing it with his vines.

"Oh, no reason. Thank you for your choice. Oh! Actually, you do not _dislike_ butterscotch, do you?" Toriel inquired.

"Oh no! I love butterscotch, too," Frisk purred. "Thank you!"

"Oh good! You don't happen to have any allergies do you?"

"Allergies? Um… no. I don't." Frisk shook their head even though they knew they couldn't be seen by Toriel. "Why are you asking?"

"Oh good. I just don't want you to get hurt is all. Thank you for being patient, by the way," Toriel purred. _Click_. The phone hung up.

Frisk set the phone back into their pocket and looked up. Flowey had already pushed the rock to the button and the spikes withdrew into the ground. Flowey looked back at them. "Come one! We need to hurry." Frisk trotted over the withdrawn spikes and into the next room. Flowey lifted up a vine to stop them before they could continue on. "Alright. This is not good. Most of this room is unstable… I don't want you falling again. Okay, let me scout ahead. Stay here." The flower vanished into the ground. A few moments later, Flowey came back. "Okay! I think I have an idea. Go step over to that piece of floor." He waved a leaf to the cracked floor by the wall.

Frisk nodded, "A-alright. But what if I fall?"

"I'll catch you," Flowey reassured them.

Most of the floor was unstable. However, as Frisk crossed in a zig-zag pattern, they didn't fall in. Some of the floor was cracked but very stable. When they got to the other side, they sighed happily and continued into the next room.

The newest room that Flowey and Frisk entered had three rocks on three light purple lines that ended in three buttons. A stream broke the room in two. A bridge bristling with spikes was their only way across. Frisk pushed the first two rocks onto their buttons with ease. However, when they attempted to push the third rock, it growled at them. "Hey! What do ya think yer doin'?"

Frisk gasped and raised their hands. "I-I, um, was trying to push you onto the button. I didn't mean to disturb you. We need to get across, sir. Could you please help us?"

The rock scoffed, "Yeah, right. I ain't movin'. Find yer own way across. Humans can swim, can't they?"

Frisk shook their head. "Most humans can, but I can't. Please help us, sir. We really need your help."

"I ain't movin'. This ain't my problem, kid." The rock fell silent.

Flowey groaned and glowered at the rock. "Move over before I push you!"

The rock snorted, "Oh what are ya goin' ta do, little plant? Tap me?"

Half a dozen little white pellets popped into existence behind Flowey. All six rammed into the rock. All six shattered and dissipated. The rock laughed. Flowey grumbled and sighed. "Fine. I'll do it." Flowey vanished and popped up beside the button. A few vines compressed the button. The spikes vanished. Flowey vanished and appeared on the other side of the bridge. Frisk happily followed. The next room, which was merely a hallway, held a small table and a piece of cheese. A little glittering yellow light floated beside the table.

Frisk walked over to the yellow thing on the table and poked it. _"This cheese has been here quite a long time. It's stuck to the table…"_

"Oh, right." Flowey looked back at the cheese on the table. "There's a mouse that lives here. It's too scared to attempt to get the cheese."

"Oh. Poor thing," Frisk sighed. "Well, maybe one day it will summon the courage to get the cheese!"

Frisk tapped the yellow light. _"Knowing that one day the mouse might get the cheese, it fills you with determination."_ The same warmth and strong feeling of courage and determination flowed through them.

"Come on! We must hurry. Other monsters might be waiting," Flowey pointed out. "…what are you looking at anyway?"

Frisk looked back at him. "This light."

"What light?"

"Um… nothing. What's up ahead?" Frisk followed Flowey into the next room.

Flowey took a deep breath. "Oh no. It's a problem, that's what it is."

Frisk tipped their head. The room was small but made smaller as it was split in half by a wall. The only way through was a small section of wall that had been cut off. A pile of scarlet leaves blanketed the ground. On top of the leaves was a white blur just about Frisk's size.

"Zzzzz…" the ghost mumbled. "Zzzz…"

"The ghost's just pretending to sleep," Flowey encouraged them.

"So, we shouldn't disturb him," Frisk agreed.

"Ah, well, we need to get through here," Flowey pointed out. "I think force is the only option."

"What about if we move around him?" Frisk prompted.

"That won't work. Napstablook's blocking the whole doorway," Flowey informed them and popped up beside the ghost. Vines crept out of the ground and touched the ghost. Immediately, Napstablook jumped and spun around to face the two of them. Frisk's soul appeared before them.

" _Napstablook- Attack 10, Defense 10. HP ?. This ghost doesn't seem to have a sense of humor…"_ The soft voice murmured.

The ghost growled, "What do you think you're doing here?"

"We're just trying to pass through!" Frisk answered before Flowey could open his mouth. "We didn't want to disturb you."

"Yeah, well, too late. Piss off before I make you!" the ghost retaliated. Tears ringed the ghost's eyes and shimmered on his cheeks. The tears turned and shot at Frisk like bullets. They cried out in surprise and flattened themselves to the ground. The bullet-tears missed them.

"A-are you crying?" Frisk breathed and stood up. "Oh dear!"

"Wh-what? No!" the ghost snapped. "Do I have to tell you again?!"

"What's wrong?" Frisk persisted and then yelped as yet another barrage was shot at them.

"Leave me alone!" Napstablook snarled.

Flowey looked between them. "Yes! We should! Just let us run past you."

Napstablook hissed at him. Frisk piped up, "We won't hurt you. Is something wrong?"

"Humph. No," the ghost growled. "I just want to be left alone. Why do you even care?"

"I don't like it when people are alone," Frisk informed him. "I know how it feels. It feels horrible, doesn't it?"

Napstablook's snarl wavered and started to fade. "Y-yeah. So? I _want_ to be left alone."

"Are you sure?" the young human prompted. "You don't have to be alone, you know. Why do you choose to be? Don't you have someone you like to be with?"

"Pfft. I thought I did," the ghost growled. "But apparently not. I have a few 'cousins' but I guess family only goes so far. Apparently, having talent means you can leave everyone else behind." His tear-shining eyes narrowed. "But what do you care?"

"I care because I don't like people being hurt," Frisk replied. "You really shouldn't leave others behind just because you have talent- especially family."

"I know!" Napstablook huffed. "But my stupid cousins disagreed. Two of them went off to become training dummies and the other one a 'star'. Humph. Star. Most he'll do is humiliate himself on TV- if he makes it that far."

"Your cousin is a celebrity?"

"Yeah. I guess," Napstablook grumbled and then narrowed his eyes at them. "Why do you want to know?"

"Oh. I was curious is all. I've never known someone whose cousin was a celebrity. You know, maybe he's super busy and can't come over. Why don't you go and try to visit him?" Frisk suggested.

"Go to him?" Napstablook echoed and then rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right! He wronged me, not the other way around. That stupid robot is too narcissistic and blind to see anything but himself. Besides, he wouldn't want some cousin who can't do party tricks anywhere near him."

"I'm sure you have talent, too, Napstablook! I'm sure that you're good at something."

Napstablook hesitated, glowered at them and them mumbled something. Tears dripped from his eyes again. However, instead of falling down or attacking them, they flowed up and collected above his head. A cute top hat appeared on their head. "I call it 'dapper blook'."

"Oh! That's so cool!" Frisk gasped.

"Oh…" Napstablook hesitated and shook his head. Frisk's soul returned to their body. "Well… yeah, it is. I see that you're not going to leave so… bye." The ghost turned and phased through the wall.

Flowey watched him go with a look of pure shock on his features. "I… didn't expect that!"

Frisk watched him go. "I didn't, either. Poor guy. I hope he makes it up to his cousins."

Flowey nodded. "Yeah well… let's keep going."

Frisk nodded and walked straight through that room into the next. This one was smaller with two spider webs on the wall. A sign was posted before them. Flowey looked up at them. "Spider bake sale. All proceeds go to real spiders," Flowey read aloud. "7g for a donut and 18g for some cider."

"Oh." Frisk checked their pockets. "I don't have any gold."

"Then we should go, right?" Flowey vanished and appeared back in the room where they found Napstablook. Another door led up. Frisk followed without another word.

The flower vanished and reappeared farther down the hall. By the time they got to the next one, Flowey held up a vine to stop them. "There is a lot of unstable ground here. Wait here." The flower vanished. Frisk attempted to look about. A door was at the very end of the hall. Six places in the room had a cracked and unstable floor. Flowey appeared before a sign. "Okay, so there's a switch in one of the rooms under here," Flowey informed them. "But since it's dangerous to let you do this… I'll see if I can find the switch."

"Okay. Be careful!" Frisk called.

"I'll be right back!" Flowey vanished again.


	3. The Ruins- Shoes

Chapter Three

 _Shoes_

A hissing, clicking sound behind them made Frisk jump and spin around. A large bug flanked by a large gelatin stood before them. They were just about Frisk's height, too. The bug glared at her and twitched its fingers. The gelatin creature jiggled absentmindedly. "Um… I don't have to fight you?" the blob, satisfied, rolled and jiggled away.

The bug relaxed and chuckled, "Mm… alone again!"

Frisk chuckled as the bug tapped his feet on the ground in a little dance. Soon he, too, turned and buzzed away.

Frisk took a few steps forward. Unfortunately, they did not pay attention to where they were moving. They fell with a gasp of fear. Another pile of red leaves caught them to prevent any damage. Frisk shook their head and looked about. A cute little ribbon was on the ground nearby. Frisk took it and crawled back out. Flowey still wasn't there. So, Frisk sat down and fiddled with the faded ribbon. Since they couldn't see what they were doing, they eventually decided to tie it around their head.

Eventually, the spikes in front of the door sank into the ground. Flowey came back. His breath was a bit heavy, but he was otherwise alright. "I found the switch! Let's go. Oh. Did you find a ribbon?"

Frisk nodded. "It's cute!"

"Ohh! That's armor! You'll need it." Flowey nodded and appeared beside the door. Frisk, eyebrows contracted in slight confusion, followed him. The next puzzle wasn't too bad. They had to click mushroom shaped, colored buttons in the right order before proceeding. The room in which they visited next was just a hallway with branching hallway. Frisk skipped over the vines that covered strips of the ground. The far end of the hallway held a small room. The door led to a small balcony. "A knife!" Flowey exclaimed. "You'll need this."

"A knife?" Frisk echoed and shook their head. "I don't need it. I'm not going to hurt anyone. Besides, it's not like I know how to use it."

Flowey hesitated and then prompted, "Well, what if you get in a trap? You can use it to cut yourself free!"

Frisk nodded. "Oh. That makes sense. Okay. But I'm not using it on anyone." They picked up the toy knife from the ground and put it in one of their pockets.

Flowey gave them a slight smile before vanishing and reappearing in the hallway. Frisk followed the flower very closely. The branching hallway had a large cluster of red leaves in the middle. It opened into a large room with a thick, dead tree in the middle. Red leaves covered the ground around it. Behind the tree was a large brick wall. A large door cut through the middle of the wall as well as a few windows. Red leaves scattered about the front of the house, though a trail without leaves was left exposed. A little glimmering yellow light shimmered beside the door.

"Good," Flowey sighed. "We're here before her. Let's see if we can sneak through her house."

"Are you sure? Why not just ask?" Frisk prompted as they walked.

"She's not a nice person, Frisk. She- we just need to keep moving."

"Keep moving?"

Frisk jumped and looked up. Flowey shut his mouth and recoiled. Toriel stood just outside of her house, hands in front of her abdomen and deep maroon eyes on Frisk. "What- oh! Well, you don't have to keep moving any longer!" Toriel purred. "This is my house! I'm so glad you made it here all on your own!"

Frisk puffed up in reaction to the praise. "Th-thank you! It took a while, but Flowey helped me get here!"

"Flowey…? Is that what you named it?" Toriel looked down at the flower. Flowey attempted to puff up and look bigger. Unfortunately, he failed. After all, he was a cute, if tattered, flower.

"Him," Frisk corrected. "I didn't name him. He told me his name. He's super nice, Toriel! He helped me all this way and even helped me out when other monsters tried to attack us!"

"He did, did he?" Toriel's eyes narrowed at the flower. "Hmm… well, I guess that's a good sign of friendship, right?" Her smile returned, though it was slightly more forced and showed a few teeth too many.

Frisk nodded. "He's my friend! But, um, we made it here!"

Toriel relaxed and chuckled. "That you did, my child. Oh! Would you look at that. What a cute little ribbon you found!"

Frisk chuckled, "Thank you! I found it out in the Ruins. Is it yours?"

Toriel shook her head. "No, my child. Here, let me fix it for you. It's a bit crooked." She leaned down and fixed the little bow on Frisk's head. She smoothed out the young one's hair and fluffed up the ribbon. Her smile wavered. For the slightest second, sadness fell through her gaze. She was quick to shake it off. "Oh, you're adorable, my child. Come in! I have a surprise for you!"

Frisk smiled and attempted to move forward. However, Toriel hesitated and held out her hand. "Oh. Wait. I'm sorry, little one. Your… flower friend can't come in. He'll break the floor!"

Frisk's smile vanished. They looked between Toriel and Flowey. "Oh. Um…"

"I'll stay here," Flowey stated. "You go on ahead. I'm not welcome anyway."

"Are you sure?" Frisk prompted. "I could carry you!"

Flowey hesitated but shook his head. "No. You go on ahead." The flower vanished into the ground.

Toriel smiled. "Oh good. Come now, young one!" The woman turned and strode into the house. Frisk gave her a small smile and looked to the shimmering yellow light.

" _Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins fills you with determination,"_ the mysterious, soft voice breathed. Frisk smiled at the added courage and warmth that tailed the action. She quickly followed Toriel inside. They entered a small, quaint room. A door was to either side on the left and right. Before them was a winding staircase flanked by small, flower-decorated tables.

Toriel waved her hands. "Do you smell that? Surprise! It's a cinnamon-butterscotch pie! I thought we might celebrate your arrival." She purred. "So, I'll hold off the snail pie for tonight."

"It smells delicious!" Frisk purred. "Thank you!"

Toriel beamed. "Oh, I'm glad you like it. Here, I have another surprise for you. Come on!" Toriel led them to the hallway to the right. "This is it… a room of your own. I hope you like it." She set her hand on Frisk's head. Frisk giggled and looked up at her. Toriel's smile quite suddenly turned sad. She gasped, "Is something burning…? Um, make yourself at home." Toriel turned and rushed out of the hallway.

Frisk watched her leave for a few seconds before entering the quaint little bedroom. They gasped and looked about. Pink was the dominant color scheme in this room. There was just a single bed pushed up to the right wall with two large stuffed animals preventing it from touching the wall. A large lamp was in the corner, blocked from touch by the bed and the wardrobe beside the bed. A trunk full of old, dusty toys sat at the foot of the bed. A dresser with an empty, dusty picture frame and a few papers atop it was between the wardrobe and a box of kids' shoes in a disparity of sizes. The little lamp that sat beside it sent light over the shoes and the old flower drawing on the wall above it.

Frisk looked about and then sat down on the bed. They sighed and shut their eyes. They needed Flowey. Flowey helped them so much… Toriel was very sweet to them, but she had gotten aggravated at their disability. What if she wouldn't accept them? If she kicked them out, they'd be in that cold place… alone… with dangers that they couldn't even think of…

" _Frisk."_

Frisk jumped and looked about, as if that would do them any good. "What? Who said that?"

" _It's me, Chara,"_ the voice replied. _"I've given you courage and advice through the Ruins. Those yellow lights? That's a bit of my power being lent to you."_

"Really? Wow. Why haven't I see you before?"

" _I don't… well, Flowey. He can't know I'm here. After all, I'm an incorporeal spirit only known by you. I don't want to give him the wrong impression. But, anyway, you woke me up after a long sleep. I died a long, long time ago. But you fell here and woke me. Flowey can't see me. But if he knows that I'm here, then he will begin to act strangely. After all, he doesn't know I exist. If he wonders about me when you talk, just tell him a human spirit helps you."_

"Okay. But, why are you helping me, again? I woke you up, but can't you go somewhere? If you want?" Frisk prompted.

Chara shook their head. _"I can, but will not. You will need aid. So, I will aid you. I will tell you about monsters, give you my power when you need it, and be there when you need to speak with me. Perhaps… perhaps I could even help you physically."_

"Physically?" Frisk echoed. "But you're a spirit."

" _I know. I can't physically interact with the world. But I can with you."_ Chara touched their hand to Frisk's shoulder. They could feel its warmth, but not their touch. _"I can feel it. As I am a soulless spirit, I can only interact with you. Spirits with souls can be seen by all. Anyway, that means I can take over you physically."_

"Like… possession?"

" _Yes, something like that."_

"But isn't that bad?" Frisk prompted.

Chara shook their head. _"No, Frisk. It can be, if the spirit is malevolent. But since I am not, I will not harm you. In fact, if we do it correctly, I lend my senses and physical aid to you. Our differences could be made into one to balance each other out. It's very easy since we're both to same age- or, when I was alive, that is. For example: you are blind but I am not. I, if I concentrate, might be able to bring you some sight for a limited time."_

"R-really?" Frisk perked up. "You can do that?"

" _In theory, yes. Do you wish to try? It will not hurt either of us, I assure you."_

Frisk hesitated and then nodded. "Okay. What do I do?"

" _Nothing. I do the work. Don't be so jumpy. I won't hurt you."_ With that, Chara touched their hand to their chest and vanished. Frisk's eyes turned a bright scarlet. Frisk couldn't move. Chara could, though. So, they turned around and looked about. They were still completely blind. Chara turned her focus to the shoe box. Quite suddenly, it changed. Most of their sight was still blurry, but they could see the shoebox, and its limited contents, in perfect clarity.

Frisk gasped, _"You can do that?!"_

"Yes," Chara agreed with a nod of their head. "I can. But… not for too long. I have to concentrate and put energy into it. Kind of like when you attempt to hold something light. You can hold it, but not forever. Get it?"

" _Yeah. What else can we do?"_

"I… do not know, yet," Chara replied. "Maybe nothing else. Maybe something. Since this is the first time I've ever done this, I'm only going by theories that I know of." Chara appeared before them. Their eyes dulled back into shades of dark, cloudy brown. _"Merging our senses together is one as well as being able to control your movements. …that will become very useful later on in case we get in a fight with something big."_

"We won't be fighting anything, though," Frisk pointed out.

" _Things will fight us, Frisk,"_ Chara pointed out. _"Whether we want them to or not. But don't worry, I won't talk you into killing anything or make you do so. In fact, I'll only take over if you need me to, okay?"_

"Okay. …we should probably find Flowey and bring him back."

" _That sounds like a good idea."_

Frisk tromped to the blurry chest she knew as the shoe box. They hooked a small boot out of it. The old thing could have fit them if they tried. Still, their own tennis shoes felt better and safer.

Frisk stood up and tromped out of the bedroom and outside. They knelt and began collecting dirt inside of the boot. Flowey popped up beside them. "What are you doing?"

"Do you want to come with me?" Frisk prompted.

Flowey's eyes grew round in shock and he huffed, "Well, yes! I said I could help you! But if you think I'm going in an old boot, then, well… I'm not going in a boot. That old thing has probably been worn a lot."

Frisk frowned. "But… it's small and sturdy so it won't break if you fall. And you don't have to move around her floor. That way she'll be happy, too!" Frisk's smile faded. "…and, um, Flowey… I can't move around that well on my own."

Flowey hesitated and groaned. "Fine. Just… just be careful, Frisk."

Frisk smiled and held out their hands. Flowey's roots slowly came out of the ground and into their hands. They set him on the boot, where he sank into the dirt within. "Thank you!" Frisk purred and hugged him.

Flowey hesitated. "Um… yeah… you're welcome. Let's, um, go inside."

Frisk nodded, gently picked up Flowey, and walked back inside. This time, they moved into the living room. It was slightly larger than the bedroom, though it was still small. A table with three chairs was beneath the window to the outside. A fireplace alive with soft red flames crackled happily beside a large bookshelf. Gardening and fireplace tools were hung in a rack beside the bookcase. Toriel, eyes down on a book, happily read. Her reading glasses nearly touched her nose so she'd push them up every once in a while.

"What are you doing?" Flowey breathed as Frisk approached Toriel.

"H-hello."

Toriel looked away from her book and smiled again. "Oh hello, my child! I see that you've found your friend again."

Frisk nodded. "He's nice."

"That's good. Say, you've been running around a lot lately," Toriel pointed out. "You look a bit tired. Do you want to take a nap?"

Frisk nodded. "Yes. I guess I'm feeling a bit tired."

"Well then sweet dreams! A growing young child like you needs their rest."

Frisk smiled and walked out of the living room. Flowey looked back at Toriel and then Frisk. "What was that about?"

"I'm sort of tired," Frisk admitted. "But, um… I was also curious about the place. I want to see if there's anything that might tell us how to leave."

Flowey smiled. "Oh! That's a really good idea! There's a door next to this big flower. I think it might be hers."

Frisk nodded and quietly walked into the room. The color scheme here was a variety of light blues rather than the tans of the house and pinks of their room. A desk was immediately in front of the door with a diary and lamp on top of it. A small bucket of snails hid between it and the wall. A queen-sized bed dominated the top-left part of the room with a squat dresser and bookcase beside it. A tall cactus stood on the other side of the door.

Flowey looked to the diary. "Come on. Let's see if she's written anything good here…"

"What does it say?" Frisk prompted. "One of them is circled."

"Um… 'How do you make a one-armed man fall out of tree? You cut his arm… off…'" Flowey stared at the page for a few moments.

"That's not how the joke goes," Frisk muttered. "I thought it was 'You wave'. What else is there?"

"Um… just jokes of a similar caliber," Flowey stated and looked at the book shelf. "Why type of books are there?" Frisk nodded and approached the bookcase. Flowey sighed. "Nothing useful. Just plants and snails. Well… try that drawer."

Frisk nodded and opened the top drawer next to the bookshelf. Chara gasped, _"Scandalous! …it's Toriel's sock drawer."_

Flowey's small voice brought them back. "Um… nothing here. Let's go." Frisk shut the drawer, nodded, and trotted out of the bedroom. Unfortunately, the door at the end was locked. "Room under Renovations?" Flowey read aloud.

"Let's take a nap," Frisk decided. "I-I mean, I told her I would. And I am kind of tired."

"What? Do you know what she could do?" Flowey hissed. "She- she could kill you in your sleep and you wouldn't even know it!"

"No. She wouldn't do that." Frisk shook their head. "Besides, I said we would. If I'm up and running around, wouldn't she think I was lying to her?"

"…that's true…" Flowey muttered. "Still. I don't like this. You go to sleep. Put me on the dresser. I'll wake you up if she tries anything suspicious, alright?"

Frisk smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Flowey!" They turned and carefully walked into their bedroom. Flowey was set on the dresser and the lights were turned off. Frisk went to sleep almost as soon as their head hit the pillow.


	4. The Ruins- Crystal Fire

**Chapter Four**

 _Crystal Fire_

Frisk yawned and stretched. Flowey looked up at them. "Awake? Good."

"Did she come in here?" Frisk inquired.

The flower gave her a short nod. "Yes. She did. But she only dropped off a slice of pie."

Frisk smiled. "Pie? Oh! That's so nice of her." The young human clambered to their feet, made the bed, and picked up the pie. The pie was wrapped in something soft but thick to keep away insects or weather. It carefully went onto the dresser.

"I think there are some coats in there," Flowey pointed out. "You'll need it. Snowdin is really cold."

"Oh. Okay. That's a good idea." Frisk opened the wardrobe and pawed through its contents. There were plenty of cozy clothes. However, there were only a few coats. "Um… which one should I take?"

"The one at the end," Flowey advised. "And, um, tell her you got a bit chilly if she asks. You'll warm up soon enough."

"Okay." Frisk gently pulled out the coat and put it on. It was fuzzy on the inside and warm. No fur popped out of the top, bottom, or sleeves. The red and black striped coat looked almost exactly like a sweater- save for the zipper in the front. Frisk about closed the doors to the wardrobe when something swung and hit the recently disturbed clothes. A small bag with a long strap was inside it. With a brilliant smile, Frisk unzipped the coat and put on the bag so that it was hidden under their new coat. The slice of pie went into the bag as well as some candy. The coat was zipped up, the doors closed, and Flowey plucked from dresser.

Frisk happily walked out of the room and into the living room. Toriel looked up. She had just set down some food on the table. "Oh! Awake already, I see? Good!" she purred and smiled. "Do you want some breakfast? You look a bit hungry."

"Yes, Ma'am! Thank you!" Frisk purred and sat down in one of the chairs next to Toriel. It was just about their size. Toriel's chair was much larger. The chair beside that was larger than that. Flowey was set down beside Frisk on the table.

Toriel glared at the flower before turning to Frisk. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Frisk nodded. "Yes. Thank you so much!"

Toriel chuckled. "Oh, you are so welcome, my child. You know, I just wanted to tell you how glad I am to have you here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show my favorite bug-hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education! This may come as a surprise to you… but I've always wanted to be a teacher. …actually, perhaps that isn't too surprising. STILL." She pursed her lips and smiled again. "I am glad to have you living here."

Frisk smiled, though they could hardly keep it. Here Frisk was conspiring with Flowey to leave when Toriel had done so much! "That is so nice of you. You have such a lovely house." Frisk went on to eat their breakfast. The taste surprised them and almost made them gag on it.

"Is something wrong?" Toriel inquired.

Frisk shook their head. "Oh no! I've just never had food like this before. What is it?" It didn't taste very good. It was like a mix between egg and dirt.

"Oh, it's just some eggs," Toriel informed them. "I didn't have enough seasoning to make a proper breakfast. I'll be getting some more this afternoon. So, I just used monster dust instead."

Flowey's eyes went round in horror. He hid his face before Toriel could look at them. Frisk looked at the food and nodded. Whatever monster dust was, it didn't taste that good. Still, they finished off their breakfast without further complaint.

"You cleaned your plate! Hungry, were you?" Toriel chuckled once they'd finished their breakfast. She gathered up the plates and stood up. "You can go play outside if you would like, Chara-" Toriel cut herself off. Her smile vanished immediately.

"Chara?" Frisk inquired.

"Go outside and play." Toriel stalked into her kitchen. Chara watched her go with a sad look in their gaze.

Frisk jumped to their feet and picked up Flowey. "Why did she just call me that?" Frisk breathed as they walked.

"She… it's nothing," Flowey denied. "It's probably another kid or whatever. Now come on! Now's our chance! We can get out of here!"

Frisk stopped before the door that lead outside. "What?"

"We can leave," Flowey insisted. "Now, while she's distracted!"

Frisk shook their head. "But she's been so nice to me! She can't really be mean… can she…?"

Flowey shook his head. "You don't understand. Six children, Frisk. They have collected six human souls. Every time a human falls down here, I see the same thing again and again. They come. They leave. They die. Don't you understand? I'm only trying to help you! If you don't get out of the Ruins as fast as possible, she, _Toriel_ , will kill you."

"But Flowey…" Frisk turned to the door again. Faintly, they could hear muffled sobs. "Oh no!"

Frisk turned and nearly ran into kitchen when Flowey hissed, "Stop!"

"I have to help her, Flowey. She's sad," Frisk denied.

"Frisk, please trust me. You have to leave. Don't you want to go home?"

Frisk hesitated. "Home?"

Flowey nodded. "Yes. Home. You want to go back to the surface, right? To your family?"

Frisk nodded. "Yes. I… I want to go back to my sister…"

"You can't do that here, Frisk," Flowey pointed out in a gentle voice. "Leave her be. She's just going to lash out at you. She was terse with you just then when you did nothing wrong. Imagine how she'll act if you start asking her about the kid o-or if you do something that humans do that she thinks is bad! You saw the look on her face when she looked at me back when you first fell. Have I done anything wrong?"

Frisk shook their head. "No. But… but she's just… lonely. Maybe we could go outside together."

Flowey shook his head. "No, Frisk. She'll never agree to that. Come on. This is your chance."

The young human sighed and nodded. "A-alright." Frisk stare at the blur of shapes that was the doorway. They couldn't move. They couldn't force themselves to move forward. So, they moved back. Frisk opened the door to Toriel's house and found the shimmering golden light. A feeling of warmth, of determination, flowed through them. But it was not enough. It was as if the magical light did not agree to their leave, either. Still, Frisk closed the door and made their way to the stairs and carefully stepped down each one. A chilled draft wafted through the corridor that they landed in. Frisk continued forward without another word.

Frisk and Flowey turned a corner in the small corridor leading out of the Ruins to see a door. A large, furry hand was set on their shoulder. Frisk jumped and spun around. Toriel, features grim and eyes narrowed, stood before them. "You wish to return 'home', do you not? Ahead of us, right there, lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it." Toriel walked past them to stand between them and the door. Toriel turned so that they faced them. "No one will ever be able to leave again." Her maroon eyes grew wet. Toriel growled and hid her pain under a snarl. "Do _not_ try and stop me. This is your final warning. Go to your room!"

Frisk stood up straight. "No. I-I won't. I–"

"Humph," Toriel interrupted them with a huff. "You want to leave so badly? You are just like all the others. No. No I won't let you leave. The others out there, they're going to kill you. If they ever catch sight of you, they will _murder_ you! Don't you understand?!"

"B-but–"

"No! I'm not letting you leave!" Every one of Toriel's teeth were bared now. "All I want is for you to be happy, young one. All I want is to never see you suffer. Don't you see? If you leave, they will make you suffer! I just want to give you a painless end!"

Frisk's soul appeared before their chest.

" _Toriel- Attack 80, Defense 80. HP 1600. Gatekeeper of the Ruins. She just wants what's best for you."_ For once, the soft voice that spoke to Frisk made them feel sick. All Toriel wanted to keep them happy.

Frisk shut their eyes and set Flowey down in the corner. "Toriel, I am not going to fight."

"Just as I expected." Toriel growled. "You would never make it out there with that attitude." Fire blazed a brilliant blue-white within her hands. Quite suddenly, the room was warm and it was light. Frisk yelped in fright as they barely dodged each attack. Fire was _everywhere._ How were they going to dodge all of this?

"I'm not fighting you!" Frisk repeated. "Please!"

"No! You will!" Toriel hissed. "Prove to me that you won't die!"

Frisk attempted to dodge again and again. However, fire got too close. Their soul, their chest, began to heart. Burns caused fissures and cracks to appear on their soul. "Please! Stop!"

"I won't let another be murdered!"

"You don't have to, Toriel! Please! You don't have to let me die!"

"If I let you out you will!" Toriel snarled. Frisk dodged the next barrage of fire, but just barely.

Shaky on their feet, the blind child stared into Toriel's molten gaze. Tears glimmered on the young human's cheeks. "Please. I don't want to die."

Toriel whined and barked, "You will if you leave!"

Frisk tensed and threw their arms in front of themselves. However, the fire brushed harmlessly past. Frisk looked up. Toriel's fire avoided her. The ground and walls were singed and charred. Yet Frisk was still alive. "I… I don't want you to kill me. I don't want to leave."

Toriel's voice was choked. "How can you say that when you tried to sneak out? You- you liar! You're trying to slip your way out, aren't you?" Toriel snarled and threw another fireball at Frisk. Although her muscles tensed under the force she put behind her spell, the fire did not feel hot. The fire rushed past Frisk and hit the wall opposite.

Frisk took a few tentative steps forward. "You don't have to let another one die."

Toriel slumped to her knees. Tears dripped down her snout and onto the floor as she bowed her head. Her face was buried in her hands, now. "I just want you to be happy… I just want my children…" she whimpered. "I just want my husband… I just want my family again…"

Frisk bit their tongue and looked at Flowey. The flower was slumped forward as if wilted. The young human turned back to Toriel. They put their hand on Toriel's shoulder. The old mother raised her great head to look Frisk in the eyes. At this short distance, Frisk could make out the colors of her eyes more distinctly than her snowy fur. "You don't have to fight."

Toriel gasped and bared her teeth in a grimace. "Then why are you trying so hard to leave?"

"I don't want to," Frisk stated and shook their head. "You are so sad and alone. I just… I want you to be happy. I… I have a home at the surface. I don't have much, but we could be happy. We all could be happy!"

For a few long moments, Toriel didn't move. Eventually, the old mother shut her eyes. "I… I…" Then, her snarl came back and her eyes flashed open. Frisk took a few steps back. "You dirty cheater!"

"Wh-what?"

"You're trying to trick me!" Toriel hissed and stood up. "You think that you can offer me something you know I cannot take? You think that I will let you go with my blessing because I'd be too guilty to do otherwise?"

Frisk shook their head. "N-no! No! It's nothing like that. I don't want to hurt you!"

Toriel stepped aside and shoved the doors open. "Go die, then. Just get out of my sight before you do."

Frisk gasped, "Wh-what? No! No, you–"

"LEAVE!" Toriel snarled and raised her hands. Again, they were alight in flame.

Frisk yelped, picked up Flowey, and raced out of the room. The door slammed shut behind them. There was a _thunk_ and eventually, muffled sobs could be heard clearly though the door. Frisk, holding Flowey close to their chest, raced through the small space of a tunnel. It eventually gave way to a cavern of natural rock instead of brick. Sunlight filtered through the ceiling and into a circle of grass. A stone doorway was at the end.

Frisk staggered to a stop and sat down on top of the little circle of grass. A little golden sparkle danced before them. Frisk's fingers brushed the little light. Although their wounds vanished and heat flowed through them, no emotion was stirred from the action. Chara raised their hand to touch Frisk's. They could nearly feel the spirit's touch as if they were a physical human. Frisk set their hand back on their lap.

Flowey sighed. "I… know this is tough. But we have to keep going."

Frisk sniffled and nodded. "I know. I know. Just… give me a second."

"I'm sorry," Flowey mumbled and bowed his head.

Frisk sat down in a more comfortable position and crossed their legs. "Flowey? Do you know anything about Chara? Or Toriel?"

The tattered golden flower looked up at them. "Yes. Toriel had two children. One of them was a human child named Chara. You… you look a lot like them."

"Then why did she try to kill me?"

"Because she's scared of the other monsters, Frisk. Chara died a painful death of sickness. The monsters have become more… sadistic and fierce as time has gone on. Hopelessness and despair have twisted this world into a savage place. I guess she thought that if she killed you now, you wouldn't face the suffering that the monsters outside would give you. Just like they gave to the others." Flowey sighed and shook his head. "Truthfully, she's a very kind woman. But you needed to get out of there for that reason. She's kind, but pain has twisted her morals."

"What if I give them hope?" Frisk inquired.

"Give them hope?" Flowey echoed.

"Yeah. Why is everyone in despair?"

"We're trapped down here," Flowey informed them. "The barrier keeps all monsters trapped underground. Anything can come in, but nothing can come out. We've been here for so long that most of the people here don't know what sunlight feels like. Those that have felt it have long since forgotten it. So, most people just think that this is what life is. It's kill or be killed."

"I'll have to prove them wrong." Frisk got up, Flowey in their arms. "I'm going to show everyone what kindness can do. I don't care how long it takes, I will make sure that no one else has to die." The feeling that the light gave them coursed through their veins. This time, though, the light didn't cause it. It was their own thoughts, their own desires that caused it. It was their own determination. "Come on. It's pretty chilly outside." Frisk zipped down their jacket, held Flowey's boot close to their chest, and zipped it up again. Flowey's head popped up next to their head. Frisk pressed their jacket just under Flowey's boot with their left hand and opened the door with their right one. A chilly blast of snow-flecked air crashed into them as they walked outside.


	5. Snowdin- Frozen

Chapter One

 _Frozen_

Snow fluttered about the tall, thick trees. The forest around them was so tightly clumped that the only way through was a deliberately made trail that started at The Ruins. Frisk closed the door behind them. It automatically locked. They took a deep breath. The air before their nose froze into a breath of fog. Frisk pulled up their hood and continued to walk. The boot that Flowey was in came to rest on Frisk's shoulder bag so now Frisk had the use of two hands.

Frisk's foot hit a sturdy looking branch. They gasped and stumbled as they nearly tripped over the thing. "Leave it," Flowey ordered. "It's too big to move. Maybe it'll trip someone taking after us or something."

"Maybe," Frisk mumbled without putting real thought into their words and kept going. The snowy trail seemed to expand forever. A few yards away, just out of their blurry vision, the path was broken by a barred fence. Flowey perked up. "Keep going! There's a bridge… and a large clearing behind it. The forest might thin enough for us to move around in!" Frisk nodded and sped up.

 _CCCRRRRAAACCCKKKK!_ Frisk jumped as, behind them, the branch shattered as if it was nothing.

"Hurry!" Flowey hissed. "Don't look back!" Frisk immediately picked up the pace. They only stopped when the bars of the gate became prevalent enough in their vision to inspect. "Oh no. It's pretty tight…" There was a gap there, right in the middle of the trail. A bridge spanned the distance. However, the gate was quite sturdy and the logs close together. If they were careful, Frisk might be able to fit through.

All thoughts ended when a slow, sly voice sounded behind them. "Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand."

Frisk, at first didn't turn around. They couldn't. Fear froze them in place. Flowey hissed, "F-Frisk! Turn around!"

Eventually, the young human turned around. Their eyes went round in shock. Behind them was a skeleton just about their size. A black and gold-lined coat fit around their shoulders, hardly covering up the dark red shirt they wore beneath. The hood of it was very fluffy, so fluffy gold fur puffed around his neck, shoulders, and the back of his head. Black pants with gold stripes led from his coat down his heavy midnight and gold boots. A yellow chain of some sort stuck out of his pocket. The faintest hint of a necklace glinted from his neck. The skeleton held out a hand for Frisk to take. His eyes, completely black save for two red irises, glowed with a light of their own.

Frisk attempted to take his hand. The skeleton smiled wider. His fanged teeth glinted in the light. One sharp tooth was gold as if to replace a missing one. Frisk froze again. Flowey looked up at Frisk and then stared at the skeleton. The skeleton raised an eyebrow. A small huff escaped his chest. The young human forced themselves to take his hand. Two things happened at once. The first thing they noticed was how cold his bony fingers were. The second was how her heart and brain, both used to tiny electrical bursts, immediately became fried by the massive amount of electricity conducted into them from some device the skeleton held. They immediately fell back in to the abyss behind them. Flowey shrieked awful words, most consisting of four letters, as they fell.

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Frisk groaned and shook their head. They looked about and felt the grass under the fingers. They were again in that spot of grass with the light before them. Flowey, still in his little boot, sat before them. Frisk gasped and put a hand to their chest. Their hand still hurt, though they knew nothing was wrong with it. "Wh-wh-what just happened?!"

Flowey stared at Frisk. "You… you just reset."

The young human gave him a puzzled expression. "What?"

"You just died. We both just died," Flowey stated. "But when you died you… you went back in time. You went to your last _save point._ Have those been here the whole time?"

"The yellow sparkles?" Frisk inquired. "Yes. They have. But… but how did I survive? Shouldn't I be dead?"

Flowey shook his head. "You have something called 'Determination'. Lots of people have it, but in small amounts. Monsters can't have it, they're too physically weak. That's why they turn to dust when they die. But you and I? I have much more determination than dozens, hundreds, of humans combined. You have even more than I do! That's what allows you to 'save' and 'reset'. Whenever you die, you will come back to your last 'save point' as long as you are determined to live. Got it?"

"You have it, too?" Frisk prompted.

"Yes, I do," Flowey answered. "But since you… have more than me, I can't 'save' or 'reset' anymore. You can."

Frisk took a few deep breaths. Their nose scrunched up and tears threatened them. "That means I… died?! That- back there! In the forest! If I go out again, will I die? Can I go back? Do you think Toriel will accept me?"

"No! Hush," Flowey cut off their demented wheezing. "It's going to be alright. You just need to be careful. If you're careful and smart then you might be able to get through this alive, okay? Now. What did we learn back there?"

"Th-that there's a scary skeleton," Frisk whimpered. "A-and a fissure in the ground."

"Yep." Flowey nodded. "There's a bridge that closes the gap. But it's blocked by a gate. Now, I think you might be small enough to slip through. But we must keep a level head. Got it?"

Frisk nodded. "I-I- I understand. But, but I was so scared! I couldn't think! I couldn't breathe! I-I–"

"You went into a panic," the flower cut them off again. "But that's okay. You just need to take deep breaths. If things get scary, just look at me, alright? I'll talk to you. You'll look at a flower, right?" Flowey gave them an encouraging grin.

Frisk nodded and took a few deep breaths. "Okay. I got it. Thank you, Flowey." They stood up again. Flowey's boot was again hidden under their coat and hooked on their bag. Frisk threw their hood over themselves again and walked out into the snowy forest. They did not dawdle. Frisk stepped over the branch. A few seconds later, it shattered. Frisk took a few deep breaths. They would be fine. Flowey would make sure of it.

They arrived at the gate. The skeleton appeared behind them. "Human…"

Frisk spun around. The skeleton, taken aback by their sudden movement, paused in his words. He held out his hand for them. Frisk held out their hand. Flowey hissed, "Frisk! No!" Frisk jumped and recoiled. Something flashed on the skeleton's hand. "We see that in your hand."

The skeleton chuckled and waved his hand. A joy buzzer was stuck to the palm his hand. It was obviously not from a factory as it was decorated and modified. Or perhaps it was but it was tinkered with. "hehe… guess that joke's to predictable now a days? funny how you turned around before i told you to…" The skeleton's eyes narrowed and he shrugged. He stuffed his hand back into his jacket pocket. "whatever. so, you're a human, right? i'm sans, sans the skeleton. i actually am on watch for humans right now. but… eh, i'm not really in the mood. my boss, though, papyrus? he's a human hunting _fanatic._ believe me, you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him," Sans snickered. "glad i'm not you, eh? so… you came from back there? too bad it's locked. 'guess you're going to have to find a way around the bridge. my boss made these bars too close together to let anyone through." He shrugged. "oh well. oh. and you better hurry. he's supposed be here soon."

Frisk looked at the bars and then back at him. Sans stood there. "Um… if you don't really feel in the mood to hurt anyone…" Frisk started slowly. "Would you mind helping me across?"

Sans shrugged. "nah. it'd take the fun out of it, right? plus, it'd be pretty funny seeing you try and get through there. well, talk to you later." Sans turned and strolled into the tree line. Frisk ran to the spot in which he had been. The skeleton had vanished into thin air.

Frisk sighed and tromped over to the gate bars. Flowey looked about the bars. "Alright. So… you can't climb… and there isn't much time to squeeze through these bars… can you jump?"

"Jump?" Frisk wheezed. "N-no! No! I can't jump!"

"Whoa! Whoa, there. Calm down. You're not jumping the gap," Flowey reassured them. "I want you to walk over to the ledge and jump onto the bridge! The gate might not be passable, but it's pretty small. Just set me down on the bridge. If you need help, I will catch you, alright? Do you trust me?"

Frisk took a few shaky breaths. "I-I do. B-but what if I… what if I fall? I can't s–"

"Hush!" Flowey hissed. "You're going to do just fine!" He calmed. "Now put me down. Jump when you're ready. I won't let you fall."

Frisk set Flowey down on the bridge and walked around the gate. One of his vines immediately whipped out and wrapped around two of the bars in the gate. It really wasn't that long a jump. That gate wasn't too big. Frisk attempted to take a calming breath. Yet they couldn't do it. No matter how much they tried, they just couldn't jump!

Chara set their hand on Frisk's shoulder. _"Need a little help?"_

"Yes, please." Frisk whimpered.

Chara's hand phased through their chest. Frisk's eyes turned a brilliant scarlet. Flowey showed up in crystal clarity before them. Chara crouched and jumped. Their arms slapped the bridge. Their fingers clawed into the wood. Unfortunately, the wood wasn't rough like normal wood. It was slippery from the ice. Chara screeched as they slid farther off the side of the bridge. "FLOWEY! HELP!"

Two of Flowey's vines wrapped about Chara's chest. The young human scrambled onto the bridge. Immediately, Chara, free from the body, stumbled back and put a hand to one of the bars on the gate. _"Did you just… throw me out? Huh."_ For a moment, Frisk sat there, shivering and whimpering. Flowey retracted his vines and stared up at them. "It's alright. We've gotten past the rough part. Now let's go. That noise must have attracted someone."

Frisk nodded and hid Flowey inside of their coat again. They tugged their hood over their head with more force and stumbled off the bridge. Sans stood just a few feet away, snickering. Flowey shot a glare at him. "What are you lookin' at?"

Sans laughed, "me? just a little kid with twigs for legs crying for a flower to help them."

Frisk glared weakly at Sans but did nothing else. Flowey growled, "You insensitive smiley trash bag! They could've died!"

Sans' smile turned sinister. His eyes darkened almost to the point where his dull pupils weren't visible. "what did you call me, little flower?"

"A smiley trash bag! That's what!" Flowey barked.

"F-Flowey!" Frisk squeaked. "No! Y-you'll just make him mad!"

Flowey sneered, "And what? Hurt his feelings? I thought he didn't _feel_ like hurting anyone."

Sans chuckled. The lights returned to his eyes. He rubbed his neck. "you're completely right. oh, would you look at that. guess i was wrong. boss is a bit early today. it would probably be a nice time to hide. i mean, you could run. but he'd catch you. he always does. or you could stand here and see how that goes."

Frisk squeaked in terror and looked about. Where was a good place to hide? Where was a good place to hide?

Sans laughed, "not so tough, little flower? go on. i expect he'll be here soon enough."

Flowey hissed, "To the left! There's a lamp over there!"

Frisk nodded and darted to the bluish blur hiding in the snow. They knelt behind it and curled up into as tight a ball as they could. From the other side of the trail, a much taller skeleton stormed out of the snow and trees. Black armor covered his chest and spiked out of his shoulders. A scarlet scarf covering part of it around his neck. His thick black pants were held together by a scarlet belt wielding a golden skull belt buckle. Spiked scarlet gloves covered his clawed hands. Red, golden-buckle boots covered his feet. Unlike his shorter counterpart, his jaws could move independently so he could open his mouth when he spoke. Unlike Sans, his eyes were smaller and didn't glow. Unlike Sans, he held an aura of power that neither Frisk nor Flowey had the will to trifle with.

"'sup?" Sans called.

"YOU KNOW WHAT'S 'SUP', YOU LAZYBONES! YOU'RE OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! AGAIN!" Papyrus' voice was much louder and had a slight higher pitch than Sans' deeper, quiet voice. "YOU STILL HAVEN'T RECALLIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES! YOU JUST LAZE ABOUT YOUR STATION ALL DAY! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"

Sans smirked. "lookin' at this lamp. it's pretty cool. you wanna look?"

"NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!" Papyrus barked and stamped his foot into the ground. "WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE?! I NEED TO BE READY. I WILL BE THE ONE TO CAPTURE A HUMAN! I NEED TO BE THE ONE!" Papyrus smirked and held his hand to his chest. His tattered, scarlet cape fluttered as he did so. Sans rolled his eyes. "THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GET THE RECOGNITION I UTTERLY DESERVE! I WILL BE HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD! I'LL BE ADMIRED BY ALL! BUT THAT CAN'T HAPPEN IF _YOUR_ SHINENEGANS CAUSE A HUMAN TO ESCAPE!"

Sans shrugged. "what? no, boss, i'm here to help. how about that lamp? it might help you."

Papyrus snarled and glowered at the lamp. The color drained from Frisk's face. Flowey looked about. Sans' smirk widened into an excited grin. "HOW, EXACTLY, WILL THIS LAMP HELP ME?"

"just look at it, boss! isn't it great?"

Papyrus shot a heated glare at Sans and stalked toward the lamp. One of Flowey's vines dug into the snow. A few condiments behind Sans' station were disturbed. The two skeletons turned to the noise. Flowey's vine whipped back into his bit of ground. Frisk, while they were distracted, backed up behind a clump of rocks behind the lamp. Sans watched their progress with sharp eyes. Papyrus stalked over to the lamp. A red bone glowed in his hand. His small eyes followed the ruffled trail until they found the human shaking and cowering, behind the lump of rocks. Frisk looked up at them with round eyes.

Sans chuckled, "cute feign, kid. bet that would've worked on the dogs."

Papyrus sneered and then laughed. The bone dissolved from his hand. "NYE-HEH! FINALLY, A HUMAN! NOW, HUMAN: YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! YOU WILL THEN BE CAPTURED AND BROUGHT TO THE CAPITAL! AND THEN! THEN! THE KING WILL KILL YOU AND TAKE YOUR SOUL! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" With that, the skeleton turned and raced out of view.

Frisk and Flowey watched him go.

Sans chuckled, "well that was fun. i hope you decide to play with the puzzles. you're dead, anyway, but it should be fun playing along. well, good luck, kid. you'll _definitely_ need it. see you up ahead." He waved his hand and vanished in the opposite direction of Papyrus, straight through the gate.

Flowey sighed. "Well… we can make this work. We just have to keep a level head. Now, let's continue forward. Come on. We'll freeze if we stay here."

Frisk nodded and got to their feet and brushed off the snow on their pants and coat. They made sure that Flowey was almost completely hidden in their coat. Flowey's head popped out. Otherwise, he was safe and warm. After taking a deep breath, Frisk trotted out of the small area, easily passing a mediocre sentry station riddled with condiments and hot dogs. Frisk perked up upon seeing not only another sparkle, but a chest beside it.

" _Being able to overcome such scary obstacles fills you with determination."_ Heat passed through their cold fingers. Frisk breathed a sigh of relief at the welcoming heat.


	6. Snowdin- Ice Puns

Chapter Two

 _Ice Puns_

The young human opened their eyes and approached the box. "What is it?"

"It's an inter-dimensional box," Flowey informed them. "Anything you put in it will appear in a similar chest down the road. So, if you want to save anything that you don't want getting ruined, you can put it in here."

"Oh! Okay." Frisk felt around the front of the chest for a few moments before opening it. Within the box was a pair of gloves. Frisk picked up the warm, thick things. They were tough gloves, indeed. No matter what their use, they covered Frisk's hands and kept out the cold. Frisk put down the slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie.

"Frisk, before I forget: don't tell them," Flowey stated.

"Tell them what?" Frisk closed the chest.

"Tell them that you… don't have senses like them," Flowey elaborated. "They'll take anything they can get from you, you know that."

Frisk nodded. "They'll find out sooner or later. But I guess… I guess not telling them would be best. I'm just afraid that maybe… what are these puzzles going to be like?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to find out. Come on. Let's keep moving," Flowey encouraged with a small smile.

Frisk smiled and got up. "Y-yes. I wonder what the first puzzle's going to be like."

The two hadn't even taken a turn through the woods when a monster blocked their way. Snowdrake fluttered forth!

Frisk's soul appeared before them. Their eyes grew wide. The creature before them was a bit larger than them. Although it's head and body was shaped like an odd snowflake, their dark eyes and wicked beak were nothing like the playful crystals that fluttered in the wind.

" _Snowdrake- Attack 12, Defense 7. HP 72. This teen comedian fights to keep a captive audience."_

"Ice puns are 'snow' problem!" Snowdrake boasted, though his voice wavered. Frisk chuckled in a weak, if encouraging, manner. Snowdrake rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh whatever. Pity laughs. God my father was right."

Snowdrake about stalked off when Frisk called them back, "Hello? Snowdrake?"

Snowdrake turned toward them. "What?"

"Um… you're starting off well," Frisk complimented. "But, uh… maybe try for more complex jokes rather than just ice and snow. Um… like… questions! How do you get a one-armed guy out of a tree?"

Snowdrake hesitated. "…how?"

"You wave!" Frisk chuckled.

Snowdrake snorted and rolled his eyes, though a faint smile dressed his wicked beak. "Yeah, yeah. Cute joke. Not good, but alright. I have a much better one, though."

"Oh?" Frisk prompted.

"How many monsters does it take to build a snowman?"

"Um… how many?"

"Three! One to freeze the guy and another to cover him with snow!" Snowdrake chuckled and sat down on a stray log.

Frisk laughed, though the joke did not settle well with them. "Nice! Why didn't the gardener plant any flowers?" Frisk, too, sat down- though this time on a rock.

"Why?" the teen comedian prompted.

"Because he hadn't _botany!_ " This caused them both to laugh. Flowey rolled his eyes.

The two of them threw jokes at each other for a good hour. Each joke was worse than the last, as Flowey claimed. Chara, smiling, suggested jokes when Frisk ran out. However, no game, no matter how fun, can last forever. Snowdrake sighed and got up. "Well, I better get back to father before he blows a gasket. I'll see you later…?"

"Frisk." Frisk got up. "And this is Flowey."

"Alright. I'll see you and your wet blanket later, Frisk. Bye." Snowdrake waved his wing and fluttered back into the forest.

"See ya!" Frisk called and began walking farther into the forest.

"Could that have taken any longer?" Flowey groaned.

Frisk shook their head. "No! Snowdrake needed the laugh. He was feeling down and not good with himself."

"pfft." The voice they'd come accustomed to caused Frisk to stop. "nice jokes, kid. where'd you learn them? kindergarten?"

Frisk turned to see Sans standing near a tree they'd just passed up. "No."

Sans looked over at the trail and then back at Frisk. "you know, it's been an hour. i'm sure my boss is getting pretty impatient with you. i'd hurry up if i were you. i mean, unless you'd like to die now. then go ahead and dawdle." Sans vanished into the trees again.

Flowey groaned. "Ugh! When will that smiley trash bag ever leave us alone?"

"Don't call him that!" Frisk scolded. "Be nice! But I don't know. Probably after we leave Snowdin. Flowey? What's after Snowdin?"

"Well, once we pass the town, we'll be going into the marsh," Flowey informed them. "It's named Waterfall and I think you can guess why. After that is Hotland. You _definitely_ won't need a coat there. We'll have to get through the Core and then through the King's Palace to get to the barrier. Since you're a human, you can leave."

"What about you?" Frisk prompted. "Could you come with me?"

"I… yes," Flowey answered. "Definitely. Just as long as you take me, alright?"

"Alright." Frisk smiled and then stopped. Beside them was a very well crafted station. Made of bone and wood, the structure stood tall and elegant. Gold and red and black paint and details were painstakingly carved and painted into every crevice and surface. Even accidental cracks had been incorporated into the design.

Flowey tipped his head. "Did that Papyrus guy make this? Looks like something he'd do. I mean, if he did, he's probably a perfectionist."

"What is it?" Frisk asked, completely blank. A red, gold, and black blur was painted over the whites and grays of the snowy forest.

"It's a sentry station; pretty well crafted," Flowey informed them. "But let's keep moving. Now- ah no."

Frisk's soul appeared before their chest. Frisk gasped and looked down. A creature just about as tall as their waist looked up at them. Its large head was somehow kept stable on its tiny body. The orange spiral cone that was its nose spun slowly. The most noticeable thing about it was its orange, spikey hat. Icecap struts into view.

" _Icecap- Attack 11, Defense 4. HP 44. This teen wonders why he isn't called 'Ice hat'."_

Icecap sneered, "Do you call _that_ a hat?" Frisk nodded and then hesitated. They looked away from Icecap. The little monster growled and summoned spikes of ice from the ground and air. Frisk yelped and jumped and stumbled away from the thin, nearly invisible attacks. "Hello? My hat's up here!" Frisk ignored him again. Icecap, defeated, huffed, "Fine! I don't need you to look at my hat!" With that, the little monster turned and stalked away.

Flowey looked after the little monster with a huff before turning ahead. "Let's keep going."

Frisk nodded and continued to walk. They only stopped when a rough, growling voice piped up beside them. "Did something just move?" A dog-human monster raised his head. His scrappy black and white fur was pressed tight to him in multiple places by jeans and a shirt. His eyes, half shut, glared at Frisk and Flowey. "Was it my imagination? No, something definitely moved! Who's there?" The dog jumped from his sentry station and unsheathed his daggers. They could be daggers or they could be short swords. Either way, they glowed scarlet. "Don't move- or I'll make sure you _never_ move again!"

" _Doggo- Attack 13, Defense 7. HP 65. Partially blind; can only see moving things."_

Frisk's eyes grew round. "Oh no! He's blind, isn't he?"

Doggo's attention snapped to Frisk's exact location. "There you are!"

"Don't move!" Flower hissed. "Trust me! Do not move an inch!"

Frisk shut their eyes and tensed. The dagger passed straight through Frisk's soul and chest. Yet there was no pain.

Doggo twitched his ears. "I knew I saw something… where are you?!"

Frisk opened their eyes. Doggo's squinted eyes darted back and forth. Frisk extended their hand and patted his head. Well, they managed to pet his snout, though a few fingers brushed his forehead. Doggo yelped and jumped backwards. His ears lay flat and tail brushed his shins. "Wh-who-?! P-Papyrus? Is that you?"

"No?" Frisk answered. "I won't hurt you. I promise!"

Doggo bared his teeth a snarl. "Where are you?" He swung his daggers at them again. Frisk and Flowey stayed perfectly still. The daggers pasted straight through them. Confident, Frisk extended their hand and rubbed his neck. Doggo relaxed. His ears flicked forward and his tail gently waved from side to side. Frisk retracted their hand and looked up at them. Doggo hesitated and then bared his teeth. "Wh-who was that? Who touched me? Was it you, Sans? Not funny! Gah! Whatever." Doggo flattened his ears again and stormed off, back to his sentry post.

Frisk watched him go before continuing down the trail. "Poor guy," Frisk sighed. "He looked hurt! Like someone hit him!"

"They probably hit him," Flowey huffed. "Most of the Snowdin Guard are dogs. You can't play nice with them. But anyway, he was using a red attack."

"A red attack?" Frisk prompted.

"Yes. It's a type of magic attack," Flowey informed them. "It's super powerful. However, it can only hurt you if you move. I guess that's why Doggo has those enchanted daggers. He can only see moving things, after all."

"Oh! That's terrible," Frisk muttered.

Flowey shrugged. "If he had his full sight, you'd have been in a much worse fight."

"Yeah, I guess." Frisk couldn't really move far as the ground slipped under them. Frisk yelped and spun around so that Frisk landed on their back rather than on Flowey. They slid quite a while before hitting snow again.

"Are you okay?" Flowey gasped.

Frisk nodded. "Yeah." They winced as they attempted to sit up. "My backs hurts a bit."

They heard a snicker behind them. "wow. haven't seen someone fall like that in while! you should probably watch where you're going next time, eh?"

Flowey glared up at Sans, who stood nonchalantly a few feet away. "We don't know the area very well yet. I don't see you trying to help us."

"why'd i help you?" Sans prompted. "my boss wouldn't be too happy about that. heh. he always seems to know what's happening around here. funny what you did with doggo. i do it all the time." Sans snickered.

"Hey!" Frisk gasped. "That's mean! Doggo's blind; don't make fun of him for it."

Flowey piped up, "Yeah. It was. Now do you want to move out of the way or what?"

"nah. i'm fine, thanks."

Frisk sighed. "I've got it, Flowey. You don't need to worry." The young human crawled onto the snow and shakily got to their feet. Great. Their back _and_ hips hurt. They really had a bad fall, didn't they?

"Are you _sure_ that you're okay?" Flowey prompted as they limped forward.

"I'm fine. I just need to stretch a bit."

"i'd get that checked if i were you!" Sans called after them. "bad legs means bad fights! you're terrible as it is, you know. don't want to make it any worse."

Flowey stuck his tongue out at Sans before looking forward again. "Don't listen to him. Let's go find somewhere to rest and maybe eat something."

Frisk nodded. "Okay. How about- ap!" Frisk jumped. Their soul appeared before their chest. Blocking their way was a dog. It wasn't that big and its tail, quite fluffy, moved slowly back and forth. Although most of its armored body was hidden behind a shield and sword, they could see it's helmetless head. The dog was just a bit smaller than Frisk.

" _Lesser Dog- Attack 12, Defense 2. HP 60. Wields a stone dagger made of pommer-granite."_

Lesser dog barked and swung his sword at them. Before it could reach them, it glowed red. Frisk stood stock still. After it passed over them, it turned white again and swung back. They dodged this swing, too. Lesser dog pulled its arm back and stared at Frisk. Frisk attempted to raise their hand to pet it. The dog whined and took a step back, tail between its legs.

"Hey, I won't hurt you! I promise," Frisk purred and extended their hand farther. The dog whimpered but didn't move at Frisk patted its head. It winced and then opened its eyes. The dog's tail wagged back and forth in tentative excitement. Frisk laughed and stepped back. Although Lesser Dog attacked them again, it put less heart into its attack.

Frisk petted it again. Its neck grew a few inches and its wagged happily. This time, the dog didn't attack. Eventually, it's neck grew so long that Frisk had to jump to pet it.

"I think that's enough petting," Flowey stated.

Frisk nodded. "Oh. Okay. Well, bye Lesser Dog! Have a nice day!"

Lesser dog barked and bounded away. Its neck shrunk to its normal size.

Frisk giggled at the dog's excitement before continuing onward. Flowey held up his vines. "Stop."

Before them was a large square of ground that had been swept of most of its snow. Papyrus and Sans stood on the other side. The taller skeleton perked up at their approach. "HUMAN! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU, WE'VE CREATED SOME PUZZLES!"

"Puzzles?" Flowey prompted. "Why?"

Papyrus went on, "THIS IS THE INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THESE MAZE, YOU WILL GET A HEARTY JOLT! GO AHEAD, HUMAN! TRY IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!"

Sans snickered, "but i'd avoid touching the walls. they might kill you or something. electricity does that sometimes."

Frisk froze to the spot, eyes growing round in terror, as they remembered the joy buzzer Sans had used on them. This puzzle was _lethal?_

"DAMMIT, SANS! LOOK WHAT YOU DID! IF YOU SCARE THE HUMAN LIKE THAT, THEY CAN'T PROCEED!" Papyrus scolded.

"'kay boss. sheesh. just having a bit of fun here."

Papyrus turned back to the human. "GO ON! THIS MAZE WON'T KILL YOU. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE CLASS, AFTER ALL, SO ALL OF MY PUZZLES ARE EXPERTLY MADE! THEY'RE NOT AS SIMPLE AND CRUDE AS LETHAL TRAPS!"

Flowey looked back at Frisk. "Okay. This won't kill you. Just… feel around with your feet. See if you can sense the walls."

Frisk nodded and shuffled forward. They were almost immediately zapped. Frisk jumped back with a gasp of pain and surprise. Flowey sighed, "That wasn't _too_ bad, was it? Come on! The quicker we get through, the quicker we can leave!"

Frisk nodded and shuffled the snow before them. Eventually, they got to a place where static electricity did not bother their feet. When they shuffled forward, they weren't shocked. Frisk smiled and continued forward. After about a dozen shock-inducing failures, one of which made them jump away from an electric wall and fall into another, they made it to the other side.

"HMM… NOT AS GOOD AS YOU COULD HAVE BEEN, BUT YOU MADE IT! HOWEVER, THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE THAT EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY LACKEY, SANS. YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED AND WHEN YOU ARE, WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO CAPTURE YOU! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus laughed and bounded back down the trail.

Sans watched as Frisk limped in the direction that Papyrus had raced through. "hey, kid. nice try. hope you didn't get too battered, right? how's the leg?"

"Um… okay," Frisk assured him.

"okay. welp, see ya later." Sans vanished into the tree line again.

"Where does he keep going?" Flowey wondered aloud. "Anyway, we should stop for a second. Do you still have that candy?"

Frisk gently lowered themselves so that they sat down on the log. "Did you want some?"

Flowey shook his head. "No. But it heals you. Here in the underground, food will heal you. That candy doesn't do very much, but it could help your back."

"Really?" Frisk smiled and took out the candy they'd been hiding in their pockets. It had a distinct, non-licorice flavor. Almost immediately, her back and hips stopped hurting. "Wow! That's- that's really nice. Thanks, Flowey! Did you want one?"

Flowey shook his head. "No. I'm alright. Now what's around here… ah! There's a bridge. I think there might be another puzzle over there… it can't be too bad, though. Come on, let's go."

Frisk nodded and strolled into the snow. A cliff created an impassible barrier to the north and south of them. An extremely deep ditch split their little piece of land in half. A deep brown bridge spanned the distance between the two pieces of land. Frisk happily skipped over it. A large 'L' shaped area within the area was cleared of snow. A patch of ice created a swath of impassible territory within the bottom left corner of it. A ball of snow sat happily at the very top with a hole just big enough for it at the bottom right corner. "What's this?"

"It's just a game. You have to push the ball of snow over to the hole. Depending on how fast you do it, since the ball melts rather quickly, you can win a prize. But that will take a long time. I'm sure that there is a better way to…" Flowey cut himself off with a sigh as Frisk began pushing the ball to the hole. Unfortunately, the ball melted quite often as it was caught on the other side of the ice. It took a while to run around the ice to push the ball again. That was not to mention that the ball was a very bright shade of snowy white, as it was made from snow, and the ground was just a shade darker as it was also made of snow. So, Frisk could not even begin to see the game they were playing. Flowey and Chara both helped guide them through the game. Although many times the ball melted before it could arrive at the hole, there were times when it did make it. When the ball was kicked into the hole, a flag of varying colors with different messages would pop up along with a different amount of gold.

Frisk shuffled through the snow and guided the ball slowly to the hole. A vibrant green flag popped out of the hole, a message clinging to its pole just below the flag. A single g plopped into the snow. Flowey read aloud, "Your concern and care for 'Ball' led to a delicious victory."

Frisk struggled to get the ball to the hole before it melted. A purple flag bearing a message popped out of the ground. Two g clinked together on the snow. Flowey looked over the message on the pole. "Even when you felt trapped, you took notes and achieved the end of 'Ball.'"

Frisk, a smile now on their face as they began to get used to the ball, bounced and jumped and danced about the ball. It became more of a dance with the ball then to get the ball into the hole. A blue flag jumped out of the ground bearing a message. Two g plopped into the snow. "Hopping and twirling, your original style pulled you through."

After a quick scolding from Flowey, Frisk stopped playing with the ball and concentrated on finishing the game. With great care and accuracy, Frisk slowly guided the ball to the hole. A yellow flag popped out of the ground along with three g. "Your sure-fire accuracy put an end to the mayhem of 'Ball.'"

Frisk, happy with their progress, played the game again. Although guiding it down the area shrunk it a bit, a final kick sent it bouncing into the hole. A cyan flag bearing four g popped out of the hole in the snow. "'Ball' is 'Small.' You waited, still, for this opportunity, ... then dethroned 'Ball' with a sharp attack."

Flowey, irritated, finally helped in earnest. They were able to get the ball safely and quickly to the goal. A gold flag popped out of the ground. Five g littered the snowy ground around them. "You are the kind of person who rushes fists-first through all obstacles."

Determined to see the game completed, Frisk rushed the ball across the game with as much accuracy and speed as a person who could see their target. After dozens of attempts at playing through the game, Frisk was able to kick the ball into the hole within a few breaths of hitting it. A scarlet flag burst from the hole. Fifty g rained across the snowy ground. "Bravery. Justice. Integrity. Kindness. Perseverance. Patience. Using these, you were able to win at 'Ball Game.'"

Frisk smiled and sat down beside the hole. "See? I knew we could do it! We just had to stay determined! How many g did we get?"

Flowey took their bag and looked through it. "Well, we got ten green, three purple, five blue, two yellow, two cyan, two gold, and one red flag. That should be… a hundred? I think? Yes, we have a hundred."

"A hundred? Whoa!" Frisk breathed. "That's so cool! I've never had a hundred of anything before!"

"Yeah. Well, now we have g," Flowey agreed. "Just don't go shouting it, okay? We'll attract even more bad attention. Come on. Let's keep going. We don't want to keep _The Great Papyrus_ waiting."

Frisk nodded and stood up. "Oh! Right! It's very rude to keep someone waiting."


	7. Snowdin- Cross Word Jumble

Chapter Three

 _Cross Word Jumble_

"Oops. Skeleton alert," Flowey huffed with a roll of his eyes.

Frisk perked up and walked to the square patch of mostly snowless ground. A piece of paper was in the center. Papyrus and Sans cut off their conversation to look at the young human. Papyrus smiled and called, "HUMAN! I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR…" Papyrus' eyes narrowed. "SANS! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE?"

"it's right there, boss. trust me, they won't get past this one," Sans reassured him.

Frisk knelt beside the piece of paper. Scribbles covered most of the page. A sweating ice cube with a fanged smile sat on the middle left-edge of the page. A list of scribbles was under the main block of text. "What is…?"

Flowey sighed. "It's a cross-word puzzle. Why am I surprised? You don't look like the type to try to do anything."

"Flowey!" Frisk scolded and sat down more comfortably. "He didn't even say anything mean this time! …do I have a pen?" They zipped down their coat and checked their pockets and bag. Finally, a pen half-filled with ink was produced from their bag.

"Just… set me down," Flowey grumbled. Frisk set him down beside the puzzle and offered him their pen.

"A CROSSWORD?" Papyrus hissed at Sans. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

"yeah," Sans answered with a shrug.

"UGH! AT LEAST GIVE THEM A CHALLENGE. JUMBLE IS EASILY MUCH HARDER THAN A _CROSSWORD,_ " Papyrus growled.

"nah, boss. watch. they'll fail this one for sure. you'll _see._ " Sans' scarlet eyes flicked to Frisk. "of course, unless you can even _read_ that."

Flowey hissed, "Shut up! Fine. Frisk, circle–"

"isn't the human supposed to solve it?" Sans raised his voice to cut off the flower.

"…YES. YES THEY ARE." Papyrus' eyes narrowed in suspicion at Frisk.

" _Do you need help? I'm sure that concentrating on the paper will give us clear sight. Maybe, if the language is still the same, I could aid you in reading."_

"Yes," Frisk murmured and squinted to look over the puzzle. Their eyes turned red. Chara was very easily able to solve this puzzle.

Flowey shot incredulous looks at them as they worked. "Uh… you can understand that?"

"Yes," Chara answered. "…somewhat."

Eventually, Chara crossed through the last of the words. Their eyes faded from scarlet to brown. Frisk put away their pen, put Flowey back in their jacket, and got up. They handed it over to Papyrus. "There! All twelve words."

Flowey smirked at Sans and then smiled at Papyrus. "I agree. Jumble would've been much harder." Frisk gave him a warning look. Sans' eyes narrowed, though his permanent smile did not leave him.

Papyrus huffed, "OF COURSE THAT'S RIGHT. THIS CROSSWORD WAS MUCH TOO EASY! SANS AND I WILL MEET YOU AT THE NEXT PUZZLE, THEN. COME ON, YOU LAZY BONES!" Papyrus snapped at Sans before stalking off in the direction of the new puzzle.

Sans glared at them. "don't let him find out you cheated. don't deny it. i know what you did, you dirty cheater." He smirked and strolled after his brother, who was currently huffing at him a few yards away.

Frisk looked in the direction of the two skeletons. Papyrus was easily faster but Sans somehow caught up to him. Frisk sighed and continued on their path. Just before a rocky outcrop, a table dressed by an empty plate and a microwave sat. A yellow sparkle hovered opposite of it on the narrow piece of land. Two notes were on the plate. Flowey looked over the notes. "The first one says: 'Cinnabunnies for anyone who wants them! If you like them, visit my store!' The second one says: 'sorry. i ate them all. they weren't even that good. – sans.' That sounds like him." Flowey huffed and looked at the microwave. A cord ran from it to the wall, where a generator was merged into the rock. A little mouse hole was beside it, heavily decorated with cinnamon bunny crumbs. A mouse poked its little head out to snatch another crumb before retreating. Frisk touched the little yellow sparkle.

" _Seeing such a cute mouse eat a treat fills you with determination."_

Flowey watched the area in front of them as they walked. "Oh, a sign… hmm… 'Warning: Dog Marriage'. What kind of warning is that? Can dogs even get married?"

"Oh! That's so cute!" Frisk cooed and continued forward. There were two paths. One of them led to a dead end while the other dipped down and went to the right. Trees and rocks blocked their way in many places.

"Frisk? Where are you going?" Flowey prompted as Frisk walked toward the dead end. "The trail's that way!"

"I know. But what if there's something here?" Frisk prompted as they walked. They ducked under a tree branch and passed a large boulder. Behind another few trees was a small strip of snowless land. "Oh! Is this another puzzle?"

"I don't know. Unlikely," Flowey answered. "It's a bit small."

"Well… only one way to find out!" Frisk attempted to take out their stick. Unfortunately, the gloves they wore weren't made to hold sticks. So, Frisk pawed at the ground with their foot. "Hmm… I think there's something there. What is it?" The young human knelt and felt the ground with their hand. Flowey touched one of his vines to the ground. _Click!_ The switch was depressed with vines.

"Well, let's hope that was a good thing," Flowey sighed as he retracted his vine. It vanished into the soil of his boot again.

"I wonder what it did." Frisk turned and strolled away from the dead end and down through the path they needed to take. A large area of loose snow made a square before a line of retracted spikes. When Frisk kicked at the snow, it began to reveal a map where a red x marked the spot where the switch was. "Oh! We figured out the puzzle without looking at the instructions!"

"Well… let's not be too sure," Flowey replied slowly. "What if that alerted some guards? I think there are a few other dogs around here."

"Oh. Well, let's find out, then." Frisk gently hopped over the line of retracted spikes. A bridge spanned between their piece of land and another piece of land, which moved in the right direction. As soon as they walked over the bridge and to a snowless area of land on the other side, two barks alerted them of the presence of new dogs.

Two dogs wielding very large axes and donned in midnight hoods sniffed around the place. "Is that…?" the male hound inquired. Scars cut across his face and the visible parts of his hands and ankles.

"A smell?" the female agreed, also riddled with scars. "A bad smell, too…"

The male dog walked around to where Frisk was standing. He sniffed the air with a new fervor. "I think I smell…"

"…a human!" the female hissed in excitement as she now flanked Frisk.

Frisk's soul appeared before them. The two dogs now stood before them, axes gleaming in the light. They stood quite close to each other. Although they glared in Frisk's direction, their axes were held to shelter each other.

" _Dogamy- Attack 14, Defense 5. HP 98. Knows only what he smells. Husband of Dogeressa. Dogeressa- Attack 14, Defense 5. HP 98. Wife of Dogamy. Loves the smell of puppies."_

Dogamy and Dogeressa's axes left each other's sides. Now, they whipped through the air and smashed into the ground. Frisk wheezed as the face of Dogamy's ax sent them sprawling on the wet, snowy ground below. They scrambled to their feet to avoid another attack.

"Where's that smell…?" Dogamy growled. Their axes shifted to protect each other again.

Frisk shook off the snow. "U-um, I'm a good smell?"

"Such a tiny voice…" Dogeressa mumbled.

"What does that matter?" Dogamy growled and barked. Dogeressa snarled and barked as well.

Frisk yelped as white and red blurs raced about them. Red phased right through them. White, on the other hand, didn't. They gasped and grimaced as their soul began to crack under the pressure.

"I won't hurt you!" Frisk offered.

They didn't speak this time. They barked in unison again. Unfortunately, Frisk managed to evade the white blurs only to fall victim to a red one. Their soul cracked and immediately Frisk felt faint. They collapsed as the attack nearly shattered their soul completely. The dogs snarled at them again. Frisk tried to move, but ended up flopping on their side. Now they were cold and wet as snow clung to their clothes.

Dogamy sniffed the air. "Wait… what's that smell?"

"Are you…?" Dogeressa tipped her head. "Actually a puppy?" Both of their axes lowered.

Frisk whimpered and got to their feet.

"We attacked a puppy!" Dogeressa yelped and then snarled. "A weird smell? You almost killed a puppy!"

"Me? You attacked it, too!" Dogamy growled back.

Dogeressa snarled and snapped at him. Blood glistened on his muzzle where his wife's teeth had cut him. "Don't you _dare_ blame me!"

Dogamy snapped at her, too. She managed to dodge the attack. Every tooth she could possibly bare glinted in the light. Their axes clattered to the ground. " _Your_ attack nearly killed them!" Dogamy barked.

Frisk bowed their head and ran away. Now the origin of their scars wasn't so mysterious.

Flowey yelped, "Wait! Wait!"

Frisk gasped and staggered to a stop. They nearly slipped over the edge of a precipice.

"You should sit down," Flowey advised.

Frisk nodded and shakily sat down on one of the stones. The second piece of candy was not too much of a balm. Although it stopped most of the pain, their left shoulder and ankle still hurt. "That's all I have left."

Flowey looked about. There was a puzzle nearby. It was shaped in a side-ways 'H' made of stone. A blue X was in either side of the center stripe of rocks. Below the side-ways H was a sign. Above the puzzle was a switch. On the other side of the puzzle was a strip of spikes. "Well… maybe we can find something later on. If not, well, we'll figure it out."

Frisk nodded and got up. "Alright. What does that sign say?"

Flowey, once they got within range, read aloud, "'Turn every X into an O and then press the button.' Easy enough."

Frisk nodded and walked around it. As soon as they stepped on the blue X, it turned into a red O. Once both X's were O's, Frisk stood on the switch. The strip of spikes retracted into the ground.

Frisk, confident, strode over the former wall of spikes and into the next area. They passed a particularly large tree to the left only to see Papyrus staring down the next puzzle. Frisk jumped upon suddenly seeing the red-garbed skeleton beside them.

"Ak! I thought that smiley trash-bag was the one who comes out of thin air," Flowey grumbled.

Papyrus' attention snapped to them. Flowey quieted and hid himself in Frisk's jacket. "HUMAN! YOU MADE IT PAST THOSE DOGS? SINCE YOU SOLVED THAT X-AND-O PUZZLE, I'M SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO OPPERATE THEM." Papyrus strode over to the new puzzle. Frisk was quick to heel. Then, the skeleton stopped. The new puzzle looked more like a maze. "HMM… I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY THIS. WELL, YOU WERE TAKING YOUR TIME SO I DECIDED TO MAKE A FEW IMPROVEMENTS TO THIS PUZZLE BY ARRANGING IT IN THE SHAPE OF MY FACE!" Papyrus smirked and held his hand to his chest. "UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW STUCK TO THE GROUND SO THE SOLUTION IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! THERE MIGHT NOT EVEN BE ONE! THAT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. SO, I WILL SOLVE THIS PUZZLE MYSELF! YOU CAN TRY IT OUT IN THE MEANTIME."

Frisk nodded happily. "I'd love to! Now… um…" They walked around the puzzle a few times. It did look like Papyrus. However, the X's were very close together. There was a pattern, but of what kind?

If Frisk stepped on an X twice or stepped on an O, it would turn into a green triangle that couldn't be changed. So, Frisk reset the puzzle by stepping on the button and continued moving around it. After a few minutes of trying and failing, Frisk and Flowey finally found the solution. The wall of spikes on the other side retreated.

Papyrus, who had previously been very harshly scolding an icecap, turned to look at the noise. Immediately, the teenager fled. "SO, YOU SOLVED IT! BEFORE EVEN I DID! INCREDIBLE! AH, WELL THEN. I'M SURE YOU'LL LOVE THE NEXT PUZZLE! IT MIGHT EVEN BE TOO EASY FOR YOU! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus walked around the puzzle and darted away.

Frisk, beaming, held Flowey close and trotted after him. Sans' snarky voice stopped them. "heh. you must be really good at puzzles, huh? not like you could've _seen_ this one before. you didn't even need my help. which is great because i really like doing nothing."

Flowey huffed, "You wouldn't have helped us, anyway."

"you don't know that." Sans shrugged. "but, i guess i'll be up ahead, kid. see ya." The short skeleton strolled back across the puzzle.

Frisk looked at him in confusion before turning ahead again. Flowey grumbled, "Yeah, right. Why is he even so mean? At least Papyrus is decent enough to admit when you win."

"Papyrus is much nicer," Frisk agreed. "But you should probably stop being so mean. It's like trying to fight fire with fire. You'll both get burned."

Flowey grumbled, "Yeah, I guess. Oh good. Found them again!"

Frisk perked up and stopped. Before them was a bridge connecting their land to another piece of land. The other one, however, was dominated by a large tile floor of varying shades of gray, black, and white. A square machine sat in the snow on the left-top corner. Sans was immediately next to it. Papyrus, however, was at the center, just about a foot away from the tiles. "HUMAN! YOU'RE HERE. GOOD. THIS IS THE INFAMOUS 'COLORED TILE MAZE' MADE BY THE BRILLIANT DR. ALPHYS! YOU SEE THESE TILES? ONCE I THROW THIS SWITCH, THEY'LL START CHANGING COLOR! EACH COLOR HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTION!" Papyrus took a deep breath and began, "RED TILES ARE IMPASSIBLE. YOU CANNOT STEP ON THEM! YELLOW TILES ARE ELECTRIC; THEY WILL SHOCK YOU! GREEN TILES ARE ALARM TILES. IF YOU STEP ON THEM, YOU'LL BE FORCED TO FIGHT A MONSTER! ORANGE TILES ARE ORANGE SCENTED! THEY'LL MAKE YOU SMELL LIKE ORANGES. BLUE TILES ARE WATER TILES. SWIM THROUGH THEM ALL YOU LIKE. HOWEVER! IF YOU SMELL LIKE ORANGES, PIRANHAS WILL BITE YOU! ALSO, IF A BLUE TILE IS NEXT TO A YELLOW TILE, IT'LL SHOCK YOU! PURPLE TILES ARE SLIPPERY AND SOAPY! YOU'LL SLIDE TO THE NEXT TILE. THEY'LL COMPLETELY OVERRIDE ORANGE TILES AND MAKE YOU SMELL LIKE LEMONS, WHICH THE PIRANHAS HATE! FINALLY: PINK TILES. THEY DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING; STEP ON THEM ALL YOU LIKE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Frisk hesitated and looked at Flowey. "D-do you get it?"

"Yeah… a few of them. Do you?"

"Um… most of them?"

"GREAT! THERE IS ONE LAST THING: THIS TILE MAZE IS COMPLETELY RANDOM! ARE YOU READY? GOOD! ONCE I PULL THIS LEVER, THE PUZZLE WILL ACTIVATE!" Papyrus stepped toward the machine and pulled a lever connected to it. Frisk gasped and looked about the tiles as they rapidly changed colors and patterns. Flowey watched the ground in suspicion. Finally, the colors stopped changing. A giant pink line of tiles moving from Frisk to the skeletons cut through the middle. Red flanked it on both sides.

Papyrus stared at the puzzle for a few seconds before snarling rapid swears under his breath at the obviously broken tile maze. The infuriated skeleton stormed away from the puzzle. Sans looked at him and then the machine and then to Frisk, who had already crossed the puzzle. Sans huffed, "you're lucky dr. alphys rigged it." With that, the shorter skeleton followed Papyrus.

Frisk looked at the machine. It was off. Flowey looked back at the puzzle. "Yeah. Lucky. What terrible thing made by the Great Papyrus is up next?"

Frisk shrugged and continued forward. This strip of land was completely clear of trees. A sentry station-dog house hybrid stood at the center-top of the square place. Long piles of snow reached up toward the sky or curled or broke. Near the bottom-right corner was a golden sparkle. An antlered monster looked about the place.

When they got within a few feet of the antlered monster, it huffed, "A dog just rushed in here with an excitement I haven't seen in a guard dog in a long time. It kept trying to build the perfect snow dog. But as it worked, it grew excited. The more excited it was, the farther its neck grew. It was pretty sad, but I just couldn't look away. I don't know if they're even allowed to play in the snow. Wasn't it supposed to be on guard?"

Frisk turned and walked down to the bottom of the area. _"Knowing that the dog will never stop trying to build the perfect snow dog fills you with determination."_


	8. Snowdin- Snow Poff

Chapter Four

 _Snow Poff?_

Flowey craned his neck-stem and looked ahead. "Uh-oh. I really don't like this puzzle."

Frisk continued forward. A very large patch of ice was between them and the next area. There were multiple spots within the ice that were snowy and had X's on them. A button was at the very end of the patch of ice. There was no bridge between it and the snow in the next area.

Frisk sighed and began working on the puzzle. They failed quite a few times. There were many green triangles. Frisk often slid off the puzzle and fell onto a puff of snow. In the center of the small area was a great statue of Papyrus made of snow. A lump of snow with the name 'Sans' written in red marker sat beside it. Flowey smirked. "That is completely them."

Once the puzzle had been completed, they found that the next area was quite interesting. Eight snow poffs littered the ground. One snow poff was in the center of the snowy bridge between that area and the next. A small dog house was at the top-center. "Oh! How cute! I wonder if there's another dog nearby," Frisk thought aloud.

Flowey looked about. "I don't know and I hope we don't find out. We should move quickly."

Frisk nodded. "Okay, okay. I hope it's friendly. I love dogs."

"I could tell," Flowey agreed. "But these guys aren't like dogs on the surface. You should remember that!"

"I know. But… most of them seemed happy. They were just hurt."

Flowey sighed. "Yeah. But… they're still guard dogs. Remember the monster mentality? All monsters know that phrase and hold it close."

Frisk pouted but continued, anyway. "I'll find a way to free everyone and put an end to this meanness."

When they approached the snow poff on the trail, a tail popped out the back. They stopped. A small dog head popped out of the snow and barked. Before Frisk could coo at it, as it was very small and cute, the snow fell away. The dog stood up. It had a small dog head, but it was in a giant suit of armor- at least twice or thrice the size of Frisk. His giant spear reached from the ground to his head.

" _Greater Dog- Attack 15, Defense 8. HP 105. This dog thinks that fighting is just play."_

The large guard dog barked happily. Frisk yelped and dodged the blurred white attacks sent at them. When the dog stopped barking, he stared at Frisk intensely.

"Um…" Frisk hesitated and pulled out their stick. The dog's eyes grew round and he barked again. The young human launched the stick as far as they could. The dog chased the stick. They played for a short while before the dog grew tired. Frisk dodged another few bark-borne attacks. "Come here, boy!" Greater Dog obeyed in an instant. Frisk laughed and patted his chest. The dog collapsed onto Frisk, sighing happily as they pet him. The dog even began to doze off. However, it caught itself sleeping and jumped up. Frisk jumped back as the dog barked again. This time, Frisk made a snow ball and threw it.

As Greater Dog rushed after it, Flowey inquired, "Why are we playing? We should go while he's distracted!"

"But he wants to play," Frisk complained. Greater Dog brought back a whole pile of snow and dropped it in front of them. Excited, the dog waved his spear at them. It glowed red and phased through Frisk. Frisk, once they'd gotten back on their feet, petted him again. Greater Dog dropped his spear and rolled onto the ground. His legs hung in the air and his tongue lolled.

Frisk giggled and rubbed his neck before getting up. The dog whined for a bit as they left. Frisk hesitated and threw the stick. "I've got to go, now! So, you can have that!"

Greater Dog jumped to his feet and chased after the stick. Once it got to it, the dog flopped onto the ground and happily chewed on its new toy.

Frisk continued through their trail. Almost as soon as they left that area, they found a yellow sparkle on a small island. _"Knowing that you have just given Greater Dog the first toy since puppyhood, it fills you with determination."_

This time, the gap between their piece of land and the next wasn't so small. It was so large that Frisk couldn't even see the end of the brown blur as it blended into the white background. "What's on the other side?"

"Um… oh great. The skeletons." Flowey sighed. "Well, we'll run into them soon, anyway. Let's make it quick and hope it's another failed puzzle."

Frisk gripped the sides of the wobbly bridge and walked. They yelped and gasped each time the bridge shifted or shuttered under them. They could hear muffled snickering from Sans and a quick, harsh scolding from Papyrus. Once they got to the point where Frisk could tell that there were two red blobs instead of just one, Papyrus' voice stopped them. "HUMAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DEADLY CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GUANTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!" Papyrus took out a remote with a large, red button on it.

From the sky, a large mace on a chain, a giant spear, and a large dog tied to a rope hung over the bridge. The dog waved its legs and shook its head. A spiked collar dressed its neck. Under the bridge, a spear, a flamethrower, and a canon was ready to fire. Frisk's and Flowey's eyes grew round in shock and fear.

Papyrus continued, "AS SOON AS I PRESS THIS BUTTON, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN. THE CHANCE OF VICTORY IS QUITE SLIM! ARE YOU READY, HUMAN? BECAUSE I'M GOING TO ACTIVATE IT RIGHT… NOW!"

At first, nothing happened. Then, the fire from the flamethrower beneath them flared. The rope handrails on either side of them crackled. With a shriek of terror, Frisk raced forward to escape the flames. Chara phased into their body and caused them to drop. The mace above them swung harmlessly by. Yet, at the same time, the spear beneath them shot up and– _shirk. Chink!_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Frisk gasped and grasped their chest in their hand. They could still feel the spear tearing through their chest. "Wh-what…?"

Flowey looked about. "Oh no. Oh that's bad. That is _very_ bad. How are we going to dodge that?!"

"W-we'll have to try," Frisk stated. "We… maybe we'll be able to memorize the pattern. There is a way to get through after all. Papyrus wouldn't make a puzzle impossible."

"I hate the sound of that," Flowey groaned. "But let's not dawdle. I'll memorize it. Don't worry."

"Okay." Frisk forced their shaky feet to hit the wobbly wooden bridge. Eventually, as they walked, they began to distinguish black from red from white from brown.

"HUMAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DEADLY CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GUANTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!" Papyrus took out a remote with a large, red button on it.

From the sky, a large mace on a chain, a giant spear, and a large dog tied to a rope hung over the bridge. The dog waved its legs and shook its head. A spiked collar dressed its neck. Under the bridge, a spear, a flamethrower, and a canon was ready to fire. Flowey's gaze flicked about the machinery. Frisk stayed 'staring' at Papyrus.

Papyrus continued, "AS SOON AS I PRESS THIS BUTTON, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN. THE CHANCE OF VICTORY IS QUITE SLIM! ARE YOU READY, HUMAN? BECAUSE I'M GOING TO ACTIVATE IT RIGHT… NOW!"

Fire blazed beneath them. Frisk's eyes glimmered scarlet. They skittered away from the breath of hot air from the fire. After ducking under the mace, they rolled out of the way of the spear. The weapon shattered the part of the bridge in which they had just been on. Unfortunately, they forgot to account for the second spear. The ground beneath them was shattered along with their soul as the spear struck from above. _Shirk. Chink!_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Frisk, Flowey, and Chara appeared by the save point again. Frisk grumbled unhappily and forced themselves to walk down the bridge. The metal slice of the spear still ached in their chest. The next time it was activated, they managed to dodge the spears. However, the dog bit down on their neck and threw them off balance. The young human and flower dropped into the abyss. _Shirk. Chink!_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Once they were able to get back into the bridge, they managed to get passed the mace and fire and the first spear. They stumbled and fell prey to the second spear. _Shirk. Chink!_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

"HUMAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DEADLY CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GUANTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!" Papyrus, for the twentieth time, took out a remote with a large, red button on it.

From the sky, a large mace on a chain, a giant spear, and a large dog tied to a rope hung over the bridge. The dog waved its legs and shook its head. A spiked collar dressed its neck. Under the bridge, a spear, a flamethrower, and a canon was ready to fire. Flowey's gaze flicked about the machinery. Chara set a hand on Frisk's shoulder. Frisk stayed 'staring' at Papyrus.

Papyrus continued, "AS SOON AS I PRESS THIS BUTTON, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN. THE CHANCE OF VICTORY IS QUITE SLIM! ARE YOU READY, HUMAN? BECAUSE I'M GOING TO ACTIVATE IT RIGHT… NOW!"

Chara phased into Frisk and bounced away from the fire. They ducked and jumped away from the mace and landed in a roll as to avoid both spears. They leaned out of the way of the dog whose teeth snapped the air near their nose. The cannon below shattered the bridge. Chara jumped over the gap made by the cannon and skittered onto the snow on the other side. Chara, after the twentieth time of trying to get past the gauntlet, let go of Frisk and stood next to them.

Frisk, wheezing, clambered to their feet and shut their eyes. Flowey looked up at them. "Now: Finished. Easy."

"WELL!" Papyrus lowered the remote and stood up straight. "IT SEEMS THAT YOU HAVE INDEED SUCCESFULLY COMPLETED THIS PUZZLE!" Papyrus waved his hand and put away the remote. The weapons, and dog, retraced back to their original places. "GOOD! THAT JUST MEANS THAT YOU HAVE ONLY ONE CHALLENGE LEFT, HUMAN. MEET ME JUST OUTSIDE OF SNOWDIN AND WE WILL SEE HOW STRONG YOU REALLY ARE! PREPARE YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus laughed and rushed away from the bridge.

Flower shook his head. "Well that was… Frisk? Are you okay?"

Frisk blinked and bit their tongue. "We're going to have to… _fight_ him?"

"Yeah, I guess," Flowey sighed. Frisk continued moving. "But we'll definitely be ready."

Sans cackled behind them. "i wouldn't bet on it, kid!"

Flowey turned around at hissed at Sans. Flowey's face contorted so that his mouth, wide and jagged with teeth, was open in a hiss. His large, hollow eyes were narrowed with only a slight white glimmer to show their pupils. Sans stopped laughing and recoiled. Flowey turned ahead. His face relaxed to that of its normal state. "Just keep moving."

Frisk nodded and started walking again. Ahead of them, breaking through the trees to create a large clearing, was a friendly looking town. A giant sign on the trail to Snowdin read "SNOWDIN TOWN". The first building was large. It was split in two. The left side of it was a shop and the right side of it was an inn. A yellow sparkle hovered between the door and an interdimensional box.

Frisk perked up and touched the yellow glimmer. _"Seeing such a small town in the middle of a snowy forest fills you with determination."_ Their pain left them.

Flowey looked about. "I don't like the look of this place."

"What do you mean?" Frisk looked about. A house stood between some trees next to the Inn. Near that was a large, bustling building called "Grillby's." Farther down the compact, snowy ground another trial branched out. On the other side of that was a library which flanked a large wooden house and a smaller shed. A large conifer tree dominated the middle of the road near the inn. The only thing that seemed off was the fact that no one was outside.

Flowey huffed, "There's no one outside!"

"Maybe it's time for school," Frisk offered.

"The day's almost over," Flowey pointed out. "Look, these monsters are rough. You don't want to mess with them. If someone catches us walking about, they might just attack us!"

Frisk's blurry gaze flicked about before falling on the shop. "Well then… let's go inside for a little bit."

Flowey sighed. "If you wish."

Frisk opened the door to the shop and stepped in. A blast of heat fell over them. They sighed happily as the heat of the shop began to chase away the nipping cold they felt. They looked about. The walls were very well decorated. Food decorated the counter that the bunny was behind. A lonely bandana and gloves were beside the pastries.

"Oh! Are you the one who put the Cinnabunnies outside?" Frisk inquired upon smelling the sweet smell of cinnamon buns.

The bunny perked up. "Why yes I did! Are you looking to buy a few? Just 25g. Bicycles are 12g."

Frisk bit their tongue and nodded. "Okay. Here! One of each, please!"

Flowey hissed. "What are you doing?"

"You said that food healed you," Frisk pointed out. "Plus, she at least deserves to get something out of her generosity, right?"

The bunny hesitated as she handed the roll to them. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you put those out for people to eat!"

"I was just advertising." The bunny waved her hand dismissively and took the coins.

"Well then it's good advertising." Frisk chuckled and put the cinnabunny and bicycle in their bag. "So, how are you doing?"

"How am I doing?" the bunny echoed. "Er…"

Frisk gave them an encouraging smile. "How about this: how's business?"

"Business is well… people are buying my food." The bunny shrugged and narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"I just want to be friendly is all," Frisk answered with a shrug. "It helps a lot!"

"…" The bunny stared at them. No emotion showed.

"Um… I'm doing well," Frisk offered. "I'm going to rest up a little bit. Then I'm going to meet Papyrus outside of town! What are you going to be up to today?"

"Papyrus?" the bunny gasped. Her ears flicked back. "Is he following you around here?" Her eyes darted to the door.

Frisk shook their head. "No, no! It's nothing like that! I'm going to the capital. But I have to talk to him about it, first, I guess."

"Talk to…? Oh." She relaxed and flicked an ear. "Okay. Well, my sister has an inn that you can sleep in, if you want. The library's open to all. And, uh, Grillby's has some nice food. It's pretty greasy, but it's an okay joint. Have you been there at all, yet?"

Frisk shook their head. "Nope. This is the first place I've been to. Well, thanks for being nice! It's getting late so I think I should be going to bed. Have a nice day!" Frisk waved and strode out of the shop. They could barely hear the bunny mutter a "Poor kid" before shuffling through her cabinet.

Frisk looked back before walking around the chest and into the next door. A rather tall bunny was behind a counter, talking to a smaller bunny. "…don't play with that bell again, young man! That's for customers to use!"

"Sorry, Ma."

"You- oh! Hello!" The bunny straightened and turned to look at Frisk as they walked in.

"Hello!" Frisk greeted. "Your sister said that this was a nice place to stay."

"Did she? Well, it _is_ the best place you'll find on this side of the Underground. It's 80g to stay here."

Frisk took out the coins that they had and looked through it. "Oh. Um… I only have sixty-seven. Sorry. W-well, I hope you have better luck with business!"

"Child, where are you going?" the bunny prompted. "It's nearly night."

Frisk shrugged. "I'm going to go to the capital! But I have to meet Papyrus first."

The bunny gave them a soft smile. "Child, you can't go to the capital all ruffled and tired! You can stay for a while if you wish- free of charge. I'll show you the way."

"Thanks!" Frisk purred. "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"No, no. I don't want anything," the mother rabbit denied and walked up the stairs to the very top-left corner of the room. Frisk followed close behind. Eventually, they got to a hallway. Multiple doors were on either side of the hallway. She led them to the last door to the left. "There you go, kid. One night."

"Thank you again!" Frisk purred and puffed out their chest.

The mother rabbit chuckled and walked back down the hallway. Flowey watched her go. Once they were inside and the door was closed, Flowey smirked. "I didn't know any monsters would do something for you because you were cute or a kid."

Frisk shrugged and set him on the bedside table. "They're bunnies. Bunnies are really nice." Once there, Frisk fell asleep as soon as they hit the bed.


	9. Snowdin- Fries

Chapter Five

 _Fries_

Frisk woke up. They yawned and turned onto their side, eyes still closed. It was so warm and the bed was so comfortable. Yet… no one had woken them. Where was Cameline? "Cammie?" Frisk mumbled and sat up. They yawned and rubbed their eyes. A flower bloomed in a boot beside them. There was only one bed, and that was the one they slept on. Even then it was a bit big. The walls were plain. Were they in their parent's room? A flash of fear bolted through them. "C-Cammie?"

The flower raised itself so that it was upright. "Frisk? What are going on about?"

Frisk stared at the flower. Suddenly, the events of the days prior caught up to them. Frisk shook their head. "Oh, it was nothing. A weird dream is all. We should get going." They got up, made the bed, and stretched.

Frisk walked out of the building and through the town. They stopped before the great conifer tree. "Whoa!" they breathed. "This tree is so big and fluffy! It's like the Christmas trees my family gets for Christmas!"

"Christmas?" Flowey prompted. "Is that a human holiday?"

Frisk looked down at him in surprise. " _What?_ You've never had Christmas before?"

Flowey hesitated. "I… I remember… I think I heard the name somewhere."

Chara looked up at the tree. A faint smile spread across their lips. _"Ask him about New Year's instead."_

"Oh. What about New Year's?" Frisk prompted.

Flowey perked up. "New Year's? Oh, yeah. That's the most major holiday in the Underground. Is Christmas like that?"

Frisk shook their head. "No. But they're super close together. What's the New Year like here?"

"Well, everyone gets together with family," Flowey replied. "They bring gifts and often stay home for the entire day of the holiday and sometimes the day prior. It's a… fun holiday. One of the few days the Underground ever sees anything happy without killing something."

"Oh, that sounds beautiful. Christmas is a lot like that. People get together and decorate the house. They buy a big tree like this and decorate it as well. Then we get gifts for each other. No one works on Christmas because everyone's at home with their families. It's one of the happiest days of the year to most people where I live," Frisk explained. "The New Year isn't as special. Everyone gets together to celebrate the New Year. Traditionally, everyone stays up until midnight. On the final minute of the last day of the year, everyone counts down the seconds until the new year. Then we make a promise. We have to promise to do something that year. That's a New Year's Resolution. Do you guys do stuff like that?"

"Most people stay up until midnight to count down until the New Year. But it sounds more like your Christmas than anything else. Anyway, why are we standing here? I think we should get moving."

"Oh, right. We can talk later," Frisk agreed.

As they walked, they found that some people _were_ outside. They were just behind or beside buildings so that Frisk and Flowey couldn't see them from the entrance to the town.

Frisk stopped beside the burger joint known as "Grillby's". "Ooh… it feels pretty warm." Frisk put their hand on the door. Heat radiated out of the place.

Flowey glared at the door. "I don't know. There's going to be plenty of monsters here…"

"Well then… all the more reason to go!" Frisk purred. "People are always friendlier after eating."

"Riiiiight," Flowey agreed and then sighed. "I guess I can't stop you, anyway."

Frisk smiled and walked inside. The spacious room was made smaller as many bodies filled the room. The two hooded dogs were sitting beside each other at the table. Although they ate peacefully, they'd shoot glares at each other on occasion. Greater Dog sat beside Lesser Dog, who barked happily. Ketchup ran down Lesser Dog's snout as he currently ate a hamburger. Greater Dog nearly swallowed Lesser Dog's entire plate of fries whole. Between Greater Dog and Dogeressa, Doggo ate a hamburger. As he couldn't see it without moving, he had to sniff it out in order to eat it. That led to some ketchup, mayonnaise, and grease dirtying his muzzle.

Frisk tentatively approached Dogamy. He sniffed the air but didn't turn toward them. "Beat it, kid."

Dogeressa glowered at Dogamy and turned to them. She asked in a sweet, fake voice, "What do you want, kid?" Dogamy rolled his eyes but didn't retaliate.

"You're sentries, right?" Frisk inquired.

"Yes, we certainly are."

"So, you get to go on patrols and stuff?" Excitement returned to Frisk's voice.

Dogerressa shook her head. "No. We're stuck in that same stupid place all day long. The only people allowed to roam about is, well, Papyrus. He doesn't run the Royal Guard, but he pretends to. The actual leader of the Royal Guard, Captain Undyne? She's no one to mess with, either. She's the real one in charge. I wish that damn skeleton would realize that. But of course no one here's tough enough to defy him. I've seen him in action. He's… not an equal opponent for anyone. Not even my husband and I together."

"So, you don't like them?" Frisk inquired.

"No one likes those two," Dogerressa huffed, quickly losing her "good mood". "At least Sans is tolerable. He's weaker than my husband's ax handle, and is a snarky little shit, but at least he knows not to talk big like his brother. Papyrus won't let anyone touch him so he's basically invincible and he knows it. Doesn't mean he isn't weak."

Doggo huffed, "Tolerable? He's more annoying than Lesser Dog!"

Dogamy ignored Doggo and snickered, "Yeah. Watching them is a blast, though. That little skeleton follows him around like a puppy. If it wasn't for his snarky attitude, I'd think that he was more obedient and easier to roll over than Lesser Dog, too. Speaking of which…" Dogamy turned to the two playful dogs. They barked at each other and wagged their tails. "Shut it! If you're not eating, go outside!" The two immediately stopped and started to whine, round eyes on Dogamy.

Doggo barked, "Ugh! The whining! I rather like them yapping than whining, Dogamy."

"I like neither," Dogamy growled.

Dogeressa turned to the two whimpering dogs. "Go ahead and get another round- on us."

"What?" Dogamy hissed.

"It'll shut them up." Dogerressa shrugged and went back to their meal. Immediately, the two dogs rushed to the counter. A fish and duck leaning on the counter shuffled to the side to allow the two dogs room. The fire monster behind the counter set down his rag and cup and vanished through a wall. He came back with another two servings of burger and fries. The swaying horse on the other end of the counter raised his cup to the two dogs and took another drink. The dogs rushed back to their place.

Dogamy bared his teeth. "That's _our_ money, Softheart!"

Dogerressa turned on him with such speed he nearly jumped back. "What did you just call me?"

Dogamy's ears lay flat against his head. He leaned away from her and pointed his muzzle away. However, her breath still breathed over his muzzle. Dogamy growled in a low voice, "Softheart. You go way too soft on those dogs. They aren't your puppies and never- ALP!" Dogamy yelped as Dogerressa snapped down on his muzzle. She ended up throwing him to the ground. Their axes clattered to the wooden floor. She concentrated all of her weight onto her husband so that she could tear him apart. Although he kicked and hit her and attempted to bite, his struggles were weak. It was as if he couldn't physically hurt her.

Frisk glanced at the bar. Grillby, sighing, brought out a laser-like stick from under the counter. The rest of dogs backed away. The entire bar was now concentrated on them. Frisk took their plates and slammed them together as hard as they could above the quarreling dogs. The married canines, shocked, paused their fighting. Frisk took off their coat, which caused Flowey to hit the ground under them, and held it between the quarreling dogs so that instead of seeing each other, they only saw red and maroon stripes. The plates clanged against the table. Frisk got between the once quarreling couple. "Stop." Their voice took a hard command none of them expected them to hold. The Dogi didn't make a move against them. "I'm going to back away. You will _not_ continue your fight. Understand?" The couple didn't move. Frisk took a few steps back. If they had the will, the dogs could attack each other again. Yet they did not. They stayed watching Frisk with wide eyes and open mouths.

Frisk took a deep breath and put on their coat again. Their voice did not waver from the command they'd taken on. "Is this how you treat each other? All I've ever heard here is that people _kill_ each other. It's hard, isn't it? Living in a world where you don't have friendly neighbors? Where you clock in and know that you'll be attacked? If you don't do your job correctly, you'll badly punished? Yet you've just mauled your husband, Dogerressa! He's badly hurt. Not to mention you attacked her, Dogamy. Where I come from, couples do everything in their power to make sure their loved one _doesn't_ get hurt. I don't want to want to hear any excuses. You're both in the wrong. Now I want you two to get back to your business. You two will not even bare your teeth at each other. Understand?"

Dogamy, snout tipped down so that his teeth didn't accidently show, prompted, "And what do you think you'll do, Pup?"

Frisk bristled and took a step toward him. Dogamy shuffled back and whimpered. "I told you so, that's why! And it's the right thing to do. Now you both know as well as I that I would never hurt you." Their voice softened and they got out of their aggressive stance. They picked up Flowey and zipped up their coat again. "I do think the both of you deserve mercy. But your fighting is out of control. By your scars, this isn't the first time it's happened. But this will be the last, okay?" Frisk held out a hand. Dogamy recoiled. "Come on. Take my hand. I won't hurt you." The dog shut his mouth tight and flattened his ears. However, he still took their hand and accepted their aid in getting up. Frisk let go and turned to Dogerressa. She accepted their help, too. "I'm not going to hurt either of you. I absolutely refuse to do so. You two do have the ability to be kind. I know that you two love each other. So, this is going to be the last time you two ever get in a fight like this, okay? I won't have to intervene again. Those wounds look pretty nasty. I don't know how to heal. But I am good at helping people. So, if you need any help, just ask, okay? I'll be glad to do so."

Dogamy's mechanical voice piped up, "Er, yes, Frisk."

Dogerressa gave them a pained smile. "Yes, Puppy. You are quite kind. I will pay forward your kindness. You need only call for our help and we will be there. We're not good at diplomacy, but we're good at kicking tail."

Frisk giggled. "Thank you! Hopefully no one will need to get hurt, but it's always great having new friends! Good-bye!" They waved to the dogs and bounded outside. Flowey bundled up deeper into Frisk's jacket as the cold smacked the two in the face.

Flowey looked up at them. "Frisk?"

Frisk stopped. "Yes, Flowey?"

"What was that? I've never seen you act like that before."

"Huh? Telling them to stop fighting? Oh! Well, my sister taught me that. We had dogs at our house. Sometimes, dogs will fight. I didn't mean to come off as aggressive, just assertive. I didn't want to hurt them. I just want them to know what they did was wrong and hope that they don't do it again. Does that make sense?"

Flowey nodded. "Yes. But you… I didn't know you could talk like that. You're always so… enthusiastic or quiet."

Frisk chuckled, "Yeah! Well, sometimes, you just need to give people a bit of… tough love!"

Farther down the road, they passed the library and then the large wooden house. Flowey looked up at it. "Well, it's the biggest house on this street. There's a creepy shed beside it. And this house gives me bad vibes. So, it probably belongs to someone, or some people, who we don't like."

Frisk nodded. "Maybe. But… um…" They stared down the road. A snowy storm had picked up farther down the road. Although a heavy wind carrying snowflakes swept through the town, the snow in the road out of the city was thicker.

"Go find a save point again," Flowey advised. "Then… well… this is something we have to do."

"Maybe I can reason with him," Frisk offered, turned, and walked back to the save point. "I mean, he was happy with the way I solved his puzzles, right? Maybe I can convince him to… um… not fight…?"

Flowey shook his head. "I want to believe you. But… but I don't. Frisk, this guy is very dangerous. Everyone's afraid of him! If we're not careful, we could get killed! Or worse!"

"I know." Frisk touched the yellow sparkle. No commentary came in response. "I just… don't like this."

"I don't either," Flowey reassured them. "But we can get through this. If we believe in ourselves… and if you can run really fast… we can do anything."

"you aren't thinking of running, are you?" Frisk jumped at turned around. Sans stood behind them, leaning on the inn's doorway. The door was open a crack so cool air filtered into the warm inn. An unheard complaint came from inside. The word 'Sans' dressed it quite well. "not only is that cowardly, and maybe you _think_ it's smart, but he'll track you down. he always does."

"…yeah…" Flowey replied. "Let's go, Frisk."

The smaller skeleton swept in front of Frisk to effectively cut them off. "hey."

"Oh! Hello, Sans!" Frisk smiled. Flowey grimaced. "Um… what are you up to?"

"not getting killed. you?"

Flowey mumbled, "Probably going to get killed."

"Flowey! Don't say that!" Frisk scolded. "We'll be fine. We just have to stay determined!"

"yeah, yeah. nice." Sans waved his hand. "so. i'm going to grillby's. wanna join me?"

Flowey hissed, "Frisk, no."

Frisk nodded. "Flowey, yes."

"Frisk no!" Flowey groaned and flopped his head forward.

Sans smirked and strolled into the diner. "welp. good thing we're close, huh?"

Frisk nodded and followed him into the hot building. "At least it's warm here, Flowey."

Flowey grumbled and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Sans sat down at the bar and waved for Frisk to join them. The young human immediately sat beside him. They glanced back. The Dogi had sat back up and were now eating another round of food. They were no longer bleeding and were only mildly hurt, now. The other dogs were quiet. When they noticed Frisk had reentered, the married dogs made sure that Frisk saw their smiles. Lesser Dog and Greater Dog showed off their teeth in doggy smiles. The bird who was on the stool next to Frisk and Sans glanced at the human and then back to his fish friend. "so, uh, frisk, right? yeah. fries or burg?"

Frisk looked down at Flowey. Flowey huffed, "I wouldn't eat what he gave me if I was _starving._ "

Frisk pouted and looked back up at Sans. "Um… sure. French fries. But, uh, I can't spend anything."

"eh. sound's good. i'll cover it this time." Sans raised his hand. "grillby! we'll have a double order of fries!"

Soundlessly, the blue fire monster turned and swept into the next room. He came back within moments with two plates of fries.

"hey! it's not burned this time! step up, eh?" Sans chuckled.

Grillby stared at him for the longest time before walking to the drunken horse, who was out of drink.

Flowey huffed, "See? No manners."

Sans went on, "so. i've been meaning to ask you: i have just the oddest feeling around you. like, uh, i'm forgetting something. but i have something more pertinent to you: my boss. i have this feeling that you are really not going to have a good time fighting him."

Frisk shook their head. "I don't want to fight Papyrus. I just want to talk to him."

"well, i'm not sure you're going to have a choice, kid," Sans pointed out. "mustard?"

"Huh?" Frisk tipped their head.

"mustard. the condiment. do you want some?"

"Er, no thanks," Frisk denied with a short shake of their head.

"whatever you say," Sans shrugged, took off the cap, and drank it.

Flowey bared his teeth in disgust. "What the- are you literally drinking that?"

"yeah? so?"

Flowey rolled his eyes. "Why am I surprised?"

A hand created of blue-red flames hit the fireproof bar table. Grillby's eyes were censored behind small, rectangular glasses. Sans raised his hands. "hey! what's that look for? i'm not doing anything wrong!"

Flowey grinned. "Hey! His coat is super fluffy! Is it fireproof, too?" The bartender shot an odd look at the flower.

Frisk gasped and pouted. "Flowey! Come on! Wishing bad on other people is horrible."

Flowey turned around and looked at Frisk. "Frisk. I love you, but please."

Frisk shrugged. "I'm just saying. If you're mean to someone whose mean, are you not stooping to their level? It's much better to be nice to people, even to people you hate."

Flowey sighed. "Moral of the day. Can we leave?"

Frisk gasped, "Oh! Right!" They turned back to Sans. "Sorry, what were we talking about?"

"nothin' really," Sans replied and lay his hands on the table again. "but as i was sayin', you don't have a chance against my boss. he's the best, after all."

"So… you wanted us here to gloat?" Flowey inquired.

"pretty much."

"Well then we don't need an adorable little bundle of fluff wasting our time," Flowey huffed. "We have a fight to get to."

"adorable?" Sans' pupils vanished. Activity around the place came to a slow as the anticipation of a fight with Sans, and inevitably Papyrus, was about to take place.

"And fluffy," Flowey cooed. "Oh golly! Your coat makes you look so cute and fluffy."

San's shark-tooth smile turned in a sinister grin. He raised his hand almost as if to prop his head but instead let his fingers brush the furry lining of his jacket. Grillby backed off with a standoffish stare at Sans before meeting the horse. The bird and fish nearby looked at Sans, then Frisk, and then back to each other. The once rowdy dogs started to move their hands to their weapons. "is that right, little flower?"

"Quite right," Flowey agreed. "Is that why you roll over for him all the time? Is it because you're fluffy and adorable and can't actually fight?" Not one laugh came in agreement.

"now where would you get an idea like that?" Sans inquired.

Flowey smirked. "No one needed to tell me, Sans. Just like no one needs to tell me that he's a skeleton with standards and you're his lazy lackey."

Sans laughed, the little red lights coming back to his eyes. He set his hand back down on the table. "have you been practicing this on frisk because i'm pretty sure no real monster would fall for that."

"Are you trying to pretend you're a real monster, now?" Flowey inquired. San's fingers clawed into the table and his eyes, completely black, narrowed into slits. All attention was taken away as people stared at their meals in complete silence.

"what, exactly, are you trying to say?"

Frisk froze, eyes round. Flowey's smirk wavered. He glanced about to find that not one soul looked at him much less encouraged him. Chara set their hand on Frisk's shoulder. _"You should move."_ Frisk didn't answer them.

Flowey straightened and looked at Sans. "You and your stupid brother don't scare us."

"Flowey!" Frisk squeaked. "You're going to get us killed!"

Flowey bared his wicked teeth in a sneer. "Yeah? What's he going to do about it?"

Sans' forced smile widened. He gently hovered the fingers of his left hand over his collar. "oh, don't worry, little flower. you won't have to worry about anything any longer."

"What are you talking about?" Flowey's voice wavered in the slightest.

" _Frisk. You have to go! Now!"_

"I-I-I- c-c-can't," Frisk squeaked. "C-c-c-c–"

Chara groaned in exasperation and shoved their hand into Frisks' chest. A sudden heat flowed through their chilled veins. Frisk's conscious was pushed aside. Their eyes glowed scarlet. Sans raised an eyebrow. Chara smirked. "Two can play at that game, Sans the Skeleton. Calling on your brother, hmm? Well, thank you. He was just the person we wanted to talk to." Chara took Sans' hand and then grabbed his collar in the same one. Sans gasped in surprise as Chara not only grabbed him, but threw him off balance so that he fell to the ground. "I'm sorry Sansy, I truly am. But we have- have to-" Frisk's eye dulled brown. Chara appeared beside them. _"Grrr- Frisk!"_

"No!" Frisk snapped, one hand on their head. "I'm not hurting him! I'm not hurting anyone. I told you that!" They knelt and held out their hand for Sans. He stared at them and recoiled from their touch. "It's okay. I won't–"

 _CRACK!_

Frisk jumped back with a yell of fright. A scarlet bone splintered a portion of the counter.


	10. Snowdin- Puppy

Chapter Six

 _Puppy_

Icy air trailed the larger skeleton as he stalked inside. No one dared glance at the royal guardsman as he passed. But once he did, the dogs–all of them–gave him sideways glances and glares. Sans scrambled, wheezing, to his feet. A hand was over his neck. He watched Frisk in absolute disbelief. Papyrus took the sharp-ended bone and wrenched it out of the counter. In his other hand, he held Sans' coat to make sure that he was standing. "NOW, HUMAN. I THOUGHT THAT _WE_ WERE TAKING _OUR_ FIGHT OUTSIDE."

Frisk nodded so quickly they made themselves dizzy. "O-of course! I'm super, super sorry. I d-didn't mean to hurt him. I-I was just–"

Flowey poked his head out of their coat. "We were. But then your smiley trashbag brother irritated us. He got what he deserved. Maybe if he wasn't being bullied and overshadowed by some big 'royal guardsman' then we wouldn't have this problem. Or maybe he was just born a brat. People can be like that. Now, why don't we settle this like the 'big and respectful' people we can be, hmm? Or, sorry, have we all forgotten what that was like?"

"Fl-Fl-Flowey," Frisk squeaked. "P-please don't! I'm r-r-really s-sorry, P-Papyrus! I didn't m-mean for you o-o-or S-Sans to get h-hurt. I h-honestly d-don't know wh-what happened. I blanked out for a moment. A-are you okay?"

Sans shot a glare at them and stuffed his hands in his jacket. He wouldn't take his eyes off Frisk's brown ones. It was as if he was expecting them to turn a clear scarlet again. Papyrus looked down at his brother and then at the human. "WELL, IT SEEMS AS IF THE HUMAN WISHES TO FIGHT UNFAIRLY. THAT IS ALRIGHT, I SUPPOSE. GO OUTSIDE." He jerked his brother forward and stalked out. Frisk followed without a single word against them. Before they could completely leave, Papyrus grabbed Flowey by the neck and ripped him out of Frisk's coat.

"FLOWEY!" Frisk shrieked and attempted to grab the flower. Flowey was held just out of their reach.

"THIS WEED WILL NOT NEED TO FOLLOW US." Papyrus glowered at the flower. Flowey contorted his face and hissed like he had done to Sans. His roots curled up so that they, and his vines crept around his fingers.

Tears glimmered on Frisks' cheeks. "No! No! He's okay! He didn't do anything! He was just talking. _I_ hurt Sans. It was completely me! Let him go! He can't go on his own! Please give him back. I swear I will do anything you say!"

"YOU'LL DO AS I SAY EITHER WAY."

" _Frisk! Accept me!"_

"No!" Frisk barked and glared at Chara before turning to Papyrus. The skeleton threw away the flower so that he landed on the floor. Flowey scrambled to dig his roots in the floor. Without a second of hesitation, Flowey vanished into the ground. Frisk's look of anger and anguish melted into one of shock and heartbreak. "Flowey?"

Papyrus grabbed the human by the back of their neck and yanked them up. Frisk gagged and scrambled to hold onto their coat. "IT LOOKS AS IF YOUR FLOWER WON'T BE JOINING US AFTER ALL."

Frisk wriggled and choked and eventually slipped out of the coat and hit the floor. Dirt sprayed onto their chest and face. The human sat up with a whimper. Not a second had been wasted before Frisk felt the presence of other bodies around them. They looked up. The Dogi, axes at ready, stood above Frisk. Their hackles were raised and their fur bristled and they snarled with a savagery Frisk had only ever seen once when their dog, Samuel, protected them from an aggressive man. Greater Dog and Lesser Dog, completely unafraid, stood by them. Doggo growling and holding his weapons tight, stood behind the Dogi.

Dogerressa hissed, "You will not harm our puppy!"

"YOUR PUPPY?" Lieutenant Papyrus stated in a flat tone.

Dogamy growled, "Our puppy. They're ours, now. You won't hurt them!"

Greater Dog snarled and barked in agreement. Lesser Dog yapped and barked.

"DOGARRESSA, THIS IS A HUMAN, NOT A PUPPY. I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR OWN, BUT THIS HUMAN IS NOT A PUPPY. I AM GIVING YOU THE CHANCE TO BACK DOWN WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE. ALL OF YOU."

Dogarressa snarled, "No! They're OUR puppy! We won't let you set a finger on them! Go! Go or we'll kill you! I swear it!"

Lieutenant Papyrus let go of Sans. He summoned a scarlet bone and raised it above their heads. The dogs flinched and, for the slightest moment, fear shone in their eyes. Papyrus stated in a slow voice, "YOU WILL BACK DOWN. ALL OF YOU. YOU WILL NOT INTERFERE IN THIS ARREST."

Dogerressa snarled, "No! They're our puppy! We don't fear you." She bared every tooth she had and narrowed her eyes. "I fear _no one!_ "

"Y-you don't have to," Frisk whimpered. "You'll hurt yourselves! Please…"

Dogamy didn't look away from Papyrus. "No, Pup. We said we'd defend you. We will- with our lives if we must. You're right. We don't hurt the people we love. We protect them. We love you, Pup."

Lieutenant Papyrus glowered at them. "I GAVE YOU YOUR WARNING." He whacked Dogerressa across the head. She yelped and shook her head. Immediately, Dogamy's ax swung toward him. Lieutenant Papyrus jumped back to avoid them. Greater Dog jumped onto his back and snapped his teeth into his neck. Lesser dog jumped up and bit down on Lieutenant Papyrus' arm to attempt to drag him down. Bones cracked out of the ground. Greater Dog, injured and in pain, let go of Lieutenant Papyrus. The spear he tried to summon was shattered by a stray bone. The skeleton thumped his hand against Lesser dog's forehead. Dogamy's ax cracked into Lieutenant Papyrus' chest piece. Though the armor dented, the Royal guardsman didn't seem to be that affected. Dogerressa left Frisk's side to combine her power with Dogamy's. Doggo immediately took her place above Frisk. Sans looked about, eyes round in shock. His brother was being dogpiled- literally. Although Lieutenant Papyrus could fight better than any of them, a monster's attack and defense weren't like a human's. A monster's attack comes from their intentions and their willingness to inflict damage. A monster's defense comes from their willingness to fight and live. So, although Lieutenant Papyrus had the will to attack and defend himself, the dogs had a very different fire.

Greater Dog, injured but snarling with such a ferocity foam flecked his lips, pounced on Lieutenant Papyrus again. His teeth snapped onto the back of his neck and tore into his cape. This time, they were both thrown onto their backs. Dogeressa cracked her ax into Lieutenant Papyrus' leg and pounced. Her claws tore into her cape and chest piece. Lieutenant Papyrus gripped her neck in both hands. For the first time any of them had ever seen, fear flashed in his eyes. Dogerressa, snarling like the wild, rabid hound she resembled, struggled and snapped at the air. Dogamy, ears flat to his skull, took an automatic step back. Greater dog let go of Lieutenant Papyrus' neck but did not move. Lesser dog, tail tucked between his legs, bared his teeth and raised his sword but did not strike.

" _Dogeressa- Attack 42, Defense 15. HP 284. She will not lose another one."_

Lieutenant Papyrus attempted to raise a few bones to kill her. Dogamy and Lesser Dog tore them out of the air. Dogaressa, though she was normally weaker than Lieutenant Papyrus, choked herself forcing her way closer and closer to him. Drool and melted snow and grease flecked on his face.

" _Papyrus- Attack 30, Defense 30. HP 1020. Prepared to be the new Captain of the Royal Guard."_

Frisk looked to Sans. His eyes grew dark. He raised his hand. Greater Dogs' soul turned blue and he was jerked into the air. Sans snapped his arm to the left. Greater Dog crashed through a few tables and chairs and cracked into the wall. This surprise was just enough to allow Lieutenant Papyrus to get back up. Greater Dog, whimpering and barking, struggled on the ground. Lesser Dog abandoned Lieutenant Papyrus in an instant to get to his friend. Lesser Dog whimpered and nuzzled the larger dogs' cheek. He licked his wounds and pushed into him with all his strength to attempt to get him to his feet. Lesser Dog choked and coughed as dust filled his mouth and spread over his paws and the ground beneath him.

Dogeressa spared a glance at their grieving companion and dead friend. Lieutenant Papyrus attempted to throw her back. She choked and fell back. Papyrus, freed, attempted to get up. He grimaced in the pain of his broken leg. Dogeressa rammed into him. Her sharp teeth tore into his hand. A scream of pain cause everyone, including Sans, to back off from the fight. A tattered scarlet glove clattered to the ground in a mess of shattered bone beside him. Dogeressa, spitting out dust, snarled, "YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY PUPPY!" Lieutenant Papyrus' struggles began to weaken. Although his armor was stronger, he did not nearly have the same fight, the same savage attack, as the aggressive mother. Her teeth tore apart his chest piece, broke his jaw, and clawed his arm.

Sans attempted to take a step forward. Dogamy and Doggo met him. The weak, smaller skeleton was pinned by the husband. Frisk covered their ears and curled into themselves. "Stop! Please!"

Dogerressa perked up her ears and looked back. Dust mingled with drool flecked the tattered royal guardsman below her. Lieutenant Papyrus punched her in jaw. She yelped and shook her head. Otherwise, she was no effected. She punched him in the side of the head before getting up. Lieutenant Papyrus growled in pain and, though he attempted to get up, he failed. The mother wiped off her muzzle and approached the young human. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

Frisk, sniffling, looked up at her. She did not hold the violence that she claimed while facing Lieutenant Papyrus. She was a completely different dog. Soft, round eyes were trained on them. She'd done a good job wiping off her face. Her hood fell over her shoulders. Frisk reached up and set a hand on Dogerressa's cheek. "I'm not… no."

They could feel her smile beneath her fingers. "Oh, that's wonderful to hear, Pup." She ran her paw over their head. "You're so beautiful, you know that? Why don't you come home with us? You look a bit hungry."

Frisk nodded. "O-okay. Thank you."

"Behind you!" Dogamy cried. Dogerressa spun around. A giant, canid skull appeared. Its eyes were thin but bright read. Spikes flowed from the back of its head and jaw. One part of its jaw was cracked- just like its defeated owner. Lieutenant Papyrus held out his only hand, glowing with red energy, at them. His own eyes sparked red just like the skull's. The weapon opened its mouth. Its bottom jaw separated into two parts to widen. Dogeressa shoved the human and attempted to run out of its fire. A great light sparked within the skull. Within a second, a laser blasted from its nonexistent throat. It was a red laser so bright it glowed a hot pink.

 _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer!_

When the light faded, they found a pile of dust on the heated, cracked floor. Dogamy rushed to the pile of dust with a mournful howl. A wall of bones bristled from the ground. His dust mingled with his lover's. Doggo attempted to flee, only to be impaled by another few red and white bones.

Sans approached his brother. His hands glinted in emerald light. He managed to heal Lieutenant Papyrus' leg, chest, and face for the most part. However, his arm was still broken and his hand, once it was reattached, was completely unusable. When Lieutenant Papyrus got up, he favored one leg over the other.

Lieutenant Papyrus, heaving and snorting, looked about the bar. Not one person looked at him. Frisk watched the place where the lovers had died with round, watering eyes. "Y… y… you _killed_ them." Their soul turned blue and they were jerked into the air. The human screamed in panic and waved their hands. "Wh-what? I-I- where's the ground?! Is it gone?!"

"I'LL REPLACE THE BAR, GRILLBY. NEXT TIME A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE, DO NOT HESITATE TO INFORM ME." Papyrus, absolutely livid, swept out of bar and into the snowy outside. His sharp eyes turned to Frisk. "I HOPE YOU REALIZE THAT THEIR DEATHS WERE YOUR FAULT. THEY WERE LOYAL GUARDS UP UNTIL YOU CONVINCED THEM OTHERWISE. IF THEY HADN'T ATTACKED ME, THEN I WOULD HAVE HAD NO REASON TO PUT THEM DOWN."

Frisk curled up into a ball and whimpered. "I-I'm sorry. I don't… I don't know… B-but d…" Frisk trailed off. _Don't hurt Flowey_ was what came to mind. Flowey- the one who'd incited a fight and then left when it occurred. If it wasn't for him, the dogs wouldn't have died. Frisk's teary eyes narrowed. "Kill me. I don't care."

" _Frisk, please. I'm sorry. I overreacted. I just… I got a bit mad, okay? Please let me help you!"_ Chara begged. _"They're going to hurt you!"_

"I don't care," Frisk growled. "Flowey betrayed me. Flowey, who I love, who is my best friend. He betrayed me. After all he said… I thought he wasn't like that. I thought he was my friend, that he would help me. That the world wasn't such a horrible place. I betrayed _her_ for him. I threw away a good life for him." Tears glimmered in their eyes. "Now they're dead, too."

A door opened and they descended a stair case. The cold didn't necessarily leave them. However, they were out of the snow. Frisk was roughly thrown into a metal cage that occupied the room. Papyrus let go of Sans and locked the metal door. "WE ARE LEAVING IN THE MORNING." With that, Papyrus stalked off. Sans glowered at Frisk before following him.

Chara sat down beside them. _"Frisk! Flowey loves you. You mean a lot to him."_

Frisk huffed. "No. I don't mean anything to him. _Obviously._ If I meant something to him, then he'd find me."

" _You do. It's just- maybe he's planning on helping you some other way."_

Frisk tipped their head back and shouted, "FLOWEY! FLOWEY ARE YOU THERE?!"

…

But nobody came.

Frisk shut their eyes. Hiccups caused their chest to shutter in an odd rhythm. They wrapped their arms around their legs and set their head in their legs. Chara wrapped their arms around Frisk in a hug they couldn't feel. _"I'm sorry, Frisk. Flowey means well. It's just… he's finding a way to help you. I know it. He's not a bad guy. He's a bit scared, and often acts a bit too big, but he's truly loyal. He's the best friend–the best brother–someone could have."_

Frisk sniffled. "I want my sister back."

" _I know. Frisk, we all want something."_

The door opened. Shoes carefully tapped the steps and then the floor next to the cage. Frisk didn't raise their head. Sans, standing a safe distance away from the cage, prompted, "you don't have magic."

Frisk shook their head. "I'm a human. Humans don't have magic."

"then why did your eyes change?" Sans prompted.

"I… it was a spirit," Frisk explained. "They, um, got a bit mad."

"a spirit took over you?" Sans stated.

Frisk nodded and looked up. "Y-yeah. They're a very good spirit, though! They're very kind and they've stayed with me! B-but, um, they have a temper. A-and they don't like it when people threaten us." Frisk wrapped their legs more tightly around themselves. "A-and we had a deal. If I needed help, they'd, um, take over and help. Th-they just thought that you would attack me and I seriously don't have a chance against you."

"was that why you were muttering to yourself?" Sans prompted.

"Yes." Frisk sighed. "I'm sorry, Sans. I should've made them let go sooner. But, um, I was still kind of scared. I'll really, really try and make sure we don't strike at you again for goading us. They are very sorry for hurting us and they told me they won't do it again."

"so… this, uh, spirit. i can't see 'em. can anyone else?" Sans prompted.

Frisk shook their head. "Nope. They said that since they don't have a soul, they can only be seen by one person. When I fell down here, I woke them up. Since we're both human and both eight, it was super easy for them to bond with me."

"you're _eight?_ " Sans' voice had a tone of exasperation and complete surprise.

"Yeah. But that doesn't matter. I-I had Flowey and I have Chara. They both helped me a lot since they know more than me. Even though Chara is my age, they moved around a lot and knew a lot of people before she went to sleep. Flowey's been around a long time, too, and he knows a lot. Since I don't know anything, I'm really glad I have their help." Frisk's smile fell. "But now Flowey's gone. Chara's the only one I have." They glanced to the side to look at Chara, who sat beside them and watched Frisk with brilliant scarlet eyes.

" _I'm not the only one,"_ Chara insisted.

"Yes, you are," Frisk sighed. "Flowey abandoned me. You're the only one I have- here or the surface."

" _I'm sorry you think that way. Flowey loves you. I know he does."_

Sans watched them. "is your, uh, spirit talkin' to you again?"

"Yeah." Frisk turned back to him. "They are. They just told me that Flowey still loves me. But he left me. So, I don't know about that. He promised that he would help me and wouldn't leave me. He promised it. Chara promised it, too. They're still with me. Sans. I'm sorry about what Flowey said. Chara was just protecting me but Flowey was being malicious. To be completely honest, you're really cute and fluffy on the outside, but I was super terrified of you."

Sans nodded. "yeah. i, uh, am pretty threatenin' when i want to be. that little flower's an idiot. is there any chance your spirit will attack my boss?"

Frisk hesitated and looked to the side. Chara hesitated. _"I promised that I will always protect you. If he doesn't do anything drastic, I won't hurt him."_

Frisk turned back to Sans. "As long as he doesn't do anything drastic, they won't try and hurt him. They swore to protect me… and I swore that I would bring them all the way to the king's castle. Once they get there, they can pass through the barrier and be free. They won't hurt you, either, right? Hehe. I know this is a bit… odd, especially coming from me, but your brother, um, came really quickly didn't he?"

"yeah. there's a thing on my collar that tells him somethin's up," Sans replied. "your, uh, spirit friend activated it when they took my hand."

"What else does it do?"

"tracks me," Sans replied with a shrug. "so, uh, he always knows where i am. it makes it easier to follow me or whatever."

"It sounds like he cares about you."

"huh?" Sans turned back to her in skepticism and surprise.

"Yeah. My sister did that for me because she loved me," Frisk replied. "She put a GPS on my old phone. I never got to use it, but I kept it around on me. She also put a combination on it that calls her. That way she could come to help me if something went wrong. I, um, don't have it." They shrugged. "But since yours is around your neck, nothing can happen to it, right?"

"yeah. nothing," Sans agreed. "welp, i gotta go. try not to, uh, die. you mean a lot to my boss."

"Bye!" Frisk waved their hand. "Thanks for talking to me, Sans. It really means a lot."

Sans left.

Frisk turned to Chara. "Well… um… what next?"

" _Frisk, if you could go back to before that fight, would you?"_ Chara prompted. _"Before Flowey and I lost our temper?"_

"Y-yeah. Of course, I would."

The spirit sat back and held up two hands on either side of themselves. Both golden, glowing buttons with words on them were shown in crystal clarity to Frisk. "RESET" was written on one. "CONTINUE" was on another. _"RESET will take you back to the flowers. CONTINUE will put you back before that fight. Frisk, do you want to go back to a time before you met Flowey, or to a time before you both got hurt?"_

Frisk took a deep breath. "Chara, I don't know if I can forgive him."

" _I know. But please. If anyone is to blame: it's me. It's not like he could've done anything, anyway. I know it feels like he betrayed you. But he didn't. I know that he's doing something to help you,"_ Chara replied.

Frisk took a steadying breath. "I… I know. I'm sorry, Chara. I'll… I don't want to go back into Grillby's this time." They set their hand on the 'Continue' button.

The buttons fizzled out of existence and Chara hugged them. _"Thank you, Frisk."_


	11. Snowdin- Blue

Chapter Seven

 _Blue_

Frisk appeared by the shop. Flowey looked about in astonishment. "Huh? What?"

Frisk tore Flowey out of their jacket and held them out at arm's length. For the first time in a very long time, Frisk's eyes were narrowed in a heated glare. Flowey shrank away from their anger. "What were you doing?! Flowey, you attacked Sans! You were goading him into attacking us!" Frisk snapped. "Then, when trouble came, you run away!"

Flowey bowed his head and sighed. "I'm really sorry, Frisk. I don't know what got into me. He just… he's hurting us, Frisk! He's hurting us and we can't do anything about it. I can't help but get frustrated at him, okay? I-I wasn't running away. I was just trying to find a way to get us out of this situation. It turns out that, um, resetting wasn't working for me."

"You promised that you wouldn't leave me, Flowey."

Flowey winced. "I'm sorry. I know it was wrong. But I tried to help! I was trying to find a way to help you."

Frisk took a deep breath. "I know, Flowey. I understand. Let's just… move past this, alright? Do you promise that no matter how much he annoys you, you will not take the bait?"

"Frisk…"

"Promise?"

"I… yes. I promise," Flowey sighed.

"Okay. Let's head over to Papyrus." Flowey's boot went back under Frisk's coat.

Flowey shook his head. "This isn't going to go well."

"Don't say that. M-maybe it will! You don't know," Frisk mumbled. The wind picked up as they got farther down the trail. Finally, they weren't even able to see the trees that flanked them despite just being a few yards away.

Quite suddenly, they stopped as they nearly ran into the skeleton in which they were to meet. They took a step back and looked up. Papyrus watched them. "HUMAN. YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL OF MY PUZZLES AND HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR. BUT YOU WILL GO NO FARTHER. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU. THEN I SHALL BECOME THE TRUE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

Frisk gasped and staggered back. The wind slowed around them and the snow fell. Papyrus was very clearly in front of them. There was no snow that could say otherwise as nothing disturbed the crystal-clear air. Frisk's soul appeared before their chest. Papyrus blocks the way!

" _Papyrus- Attack 30, Defense 30. HP 1020. Prepared to be the new Captain of the Royal Guard."_

"NYEH-HEH-HEH! HUMAN! MAKE YOUR FIRST MOVE!" Papyrus invited.

" _Frisk- Attack 5, Defense 3. HP 20. Blind. Determined to SAVE monsters."_

Frisk stood up straight. "I will not fight you!"

"SO, YOU WON'T FIGHT ME? WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED? WELL THEN, CAN YOU HANDLE MY FABLED BLUE ATTACK?" Papyrus crowed.

" _Flowey- Attack 10, Defense 10. HP 40. Remembers everything."_

Flowey looked between them. "What blue attack?"

"WHY WOULD I TELL YOU WHEN I CAN OBVIOUSLY SHOW YOU?" Papyrus cackled and waved his hands in a grand manner. Scarlet bones poked out of the ground and appeared in the air. Frisk stood still. The red bones phased through them. After about a dozen failed attacks, the bones stopped.

Flowey opened his eyes. "What the-?"

Papyrus snapped his fingers. Frisk yelped and fell. Their soul shimmered a brilliant blue. Quite suddenly, a feeling of cold rushed through their chest instead of the comfortable heat they knew so well. They felt heavier. A small white bone popped out of the ground and raced at them.

"J-jump!" Flowey yelped. Frisk followed his order. Unfortunately, they couldn't jump as high as they thought and fell just past the bone. The attack was so close it nearly grazed their shoes.

Papyrus smirked. "YOU'RE BLUE NOW! THAT'S MY ATTACK! NYEH-HEH-HEH!"

"This is insane," Flowey wheezed. "What are we going to do?"

Frisk stood up straight. "The only thing we can do." They spoke up, "I'm not going to fight you, Papyrus! I refuse!"

"LET'S SEE HOW LONG THAT LASTS, HUMAN." Papyrus waved his hand. Bones sprouted from the ground and raced at them. Frisk jumped and staggered and waved their arms to keep balance. The bones were quite tall so it was very hard attempting to jump over them. Flowey smacked one of the bones with his vines and shuttered. The attack dissipated.

"Don't hurt yourself, Flowey!" Frisk gasped, "It's okay! I can do this!"

"This is way too dangerous, Frisk," Flowey denied. "We can't fight him."

"I know," Frisk agreed. "So, I won't fight him." They raised their voice again. "Papyrus! It feels like your life, just like the lives of so many others, is going down a dark path. But you don't have to walk it!"

"IF THIS IS YOUR ATTEMPT AS SWAYING ME, IT'S QUITE COMICAL," Papyrus sneered. Again, bones attacked them. This time, the leaped into the air as well. Frisk had to jump as well as duck. In fact, one time, they leaped and then tumbled to the ground in an attempt to dodge it. Unfortunately, this left them open to another bone. Their soul shuttered and a slight crack formed.

Frisk stood up straight. "I'm not joking. Everyone can be a good person if they tried!"

"Frisk what are you doing?" Flowey hissed.

Papyrus narrowed his eyes. "YOUR ATTEMPTS AT 'MERCY' ARE PITIFUL, HUMAN." This time, two bones, one in the air and one in the ground, came quite close to each other. Frisk jumped between them like a hoop and flatten themselves to the ground to keep from getting hit. They staggered to their feet. A smaller bone rushed up behind them. Frisk, taken completely by surprise, was thrown onto their belly. Their soul cracked further.

The young human got up and put a hand to their head. The hard fall caused their head to hurt and mind to go dizzy. Now they could hardly process anything their eyes gave them. "I-I know that you don't believe me. That you think this is how it is. But I believe in you, Papyrus! I know that you could be a great person if you just tried!"

Papyrus smirked. "I'M THE GREAT PAPYRUS! OF COURSE, I CAN BE GREAT AT ANYTHING- ANYTHING BUT FALLING FOR YOUR DUMB CHARADE." This time, the bones that formed hoops came in doubles so they were a hard jump. The attacks came from both sides. One from the left, one from the right. Then, two hoops approached at the same time- one from the left, one from the right. Frisk jumped straight up. Before they could catch their balance, a red bone sailed toward them. Flowey smacked it with their vine to dissipate it. The flower groaned and lowered his head.

"Flowey! …no. You can't help me any longer." Frisk set Flowey down on the ground near the trees and raced back to their position.

"Frisk…" Flowey muttered but could do nothing else.

"It's not a charade, Papyrus. You can attack me all you want, but I hope you know that I will _never_ stop believing in you, Papyrus. There is a glimmer of a good person inside of you. I can feel it!"

"YOU ARE DOING YOURSELF NO JUSTICE, HUMAN!" Papyrus barked. "FIGHT ME OR DIE WITHOUT EVEN TRYING!" This barrage of bones was one that Frisk couldn't dodge if they tried. Although they attempted to run from place to place, it was as if he could predict their every moment. Finally, Frisk was able to jump what they thought was the last bone. Unfortunately, they were mistaken.

"Frisk!" Flowey yelped.

They didn't see the bone fly straight at their head. _THUNK!_ Frisk shuttered and fell to one knee.

Frisk stood up, grimacing in the pain in their head. Blood dribbled down their cheek. "I will not give up on you, Papyrus."

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH, HUMAN?" Papyrus snapped. "YOUR TALK DOES YOU NO GOOD!"

"It's not talk, Papyrus," the young human stated in a shaky, slurry voice. "I'm your friend, Papyrus. I swear that I will never hurt you or your brother. Ever."

Something flickered in Papyrus' gaze upon hearing them say "brother". His stance loosened in the slightest. He quickly shook himself. However, he couldn't shake away the doubt that now appeared in his words, "YOU CAN'T SAY THAT, HUMAN. ALL YOU WILL FIND HERE IS DEATH! IF YOU FIND A WAY PAST ME, YOU WILL DIE, ANYWAY!"

"I won't." Frisk stood up straight. It took all of their strength to stay on their feet. "I refuse."

Papyrus snarled and stood up straight. His cape fluttered in the breeze that had picked up. "HUMAN. YOU… YOU WILL NOT FIGHT BACK, WILL YOU?"

"Flowey and I refuse to fight," Frisk agreed.

Papyrus huffed, "IT IS CLEAR TO ME NOW, HUMAN. YOU ARE CLEARLY UNABLE TO DEFEAT ME."

"We won't," Frisk agreed. A small smile spread across their lips. Flowey perked up.

"THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL CAPTURE YOU!" Before Frisk could speak, a bone shot out of the ground and hit them in the head with a hard _thunk._

There was no pain. That was the first thing that Frisk noticed. They opened their eyes. The second thing that Frisk noticed was that they were in their bedroom… and they could see it with a clarity Frisk had never even dreamed was possible. Their little room was very cozy. There was a large bed to one side for Frisk and their two siblings to share. Toys were scattered about the room. A currently unused toy chest was at the foot of their bed. Their closet, holding all their clothes and shoes, was beside their bed- just on the other side of their bedside table, which had a lamp. Frisk looked about at all the pictures their siblings had made- and that Frisk had attempted to create. Frisk's were too scribbly and all over the place to know what they were. Others were pictures of their house, parents, dog, scenes of their lives. The photos were blurred like the vision they had when they were conscious.

A noise outside disturbed Frisk. They gently set down the photo and ran to the window at the foot of their bed. Snowflakes danced around outside. Almost a foot of it covered the entire ground in a blanket of white. Two young girls, one fifteen and another five, raced about the outside. A man and a woman sat under an overhang that shadowed their porch. They laughed and giggled at each other's jokes and their children's antics. Again, they couldn't see any of this with clear eyes. It was as if this room was just a small bubble of existance that they could process. Everything else was unclear.

Frisk gasped and raced to the door. Even though they weren't wearing winter clothes–they just had their striped shirt and pants–Frisk didn't shiver in the cold. They nearly took a step outside when a soft voice sounded behind them, _"Are you leaving so soon?"_ Frisk recognized that voice. That was Chara's voice.

Frisk turned around to see a kid behind them. They looked so alike they could've been twins. Their shoulder-length brunette hair hung around their shoulders. Chara's hair was a bit fluffier than Frisk's bone-straight hair. Their red and black striped shirt mimicked the red-and-black coat Frisk had been wearing. Their eyes, however, were different. They were a brilliant scarlet. They expressed no emotion whatsoever. "Are you Chara?"

" _Yes."_ Chara nodded. Their voice was devoid of emotion. _"Toriel and Asgore's child. You look like me, don't you?"_

" _Yeah. We do look pretty similar,"_ Frisk chuckled and then tipped their head. _"Why am I here?"_

Chara held up both hands. Two golden squares hovered about them. The word _"Reset"_ hovered above their right hand. The word _"Continue"_ hovered above the left. _"You're almost dead, Frisk. You have 1 HP, but you are very weak and close to losing that."_

" _1 HP?"_ Frisk questioned.

Chara nodded. _"HP measures your health. 1 is the lowest number you go to before dying. But sometimes… sometimes someone with enough determination to live can dip below, if for but a while. HP also stands for Hope; people with more Hope have higher 'HP'. You have two choices. You can Reset-"_ The reset button over Chara's right hand glowed for a second before fading. _"-or Continue."_ The continue button over Chara's left hand glowed and then dimmed again. _"Or, of course, you could choose a third option and walk out that door and die permanently"_

"What do those mean?" Frisk prompted.

Chara looked at the continue button. _"You've already used this choice but didn't know. This means that, if you die, you can go back to an old save point. Those are the yellow lights you keep finding. Those are the only points that I can physically interact with you. That warm feeling? That feeling of strong emotion? The feeling that you can do anything? That's me, Chara."_ Chara turned their head to look at the reset button. _"This button will take you back to the beginning. Sometimes, it depends on where you go. But for me… I started off before I fell. So, for you… if you reset, you'll end up in the woods just before the cave. You will retain all of these memories. So, you can stop yourself from falling and find a new fate."_

"What happens if I don't fall?" Frisk inquired. "Can I still save and go back in time?"

Chara shook their head. _"You could but… but Flowey has that power, too. Since he lives in a place of magic, his resets will override yours. So, unless Flowey dies and stays dead, you cannot do it."_

"…what will happen to everyone else?"

" _Most will forget that you exist. They'll forget everything about you. They'll forget what you've done, what you've said, what you are- all but two people, excluding yourself. Sans is a scientist, time traveler, and overall a very… unique monster. He knows resets, can detect them, and knows where they come from. He retains small bits of memories of times before the reset. However, he cannot control them. Flowey, since he can control resets, will remember them with crystal clarity. So, if you reset and fail to fall, Flowey will remember you and remember that you willingly abandoned him. Sans will remember that a human was killed. Perhaps not your exact details, but enough to remember you and what you did."_

"So… so Toriel won't suffer? Papyrus won't kill me? But Flowey won't forget me?"

" _Yes."_

"If I continue, will I die?"

" _No. You will return to 1 HP. But you will be at their complete mercy. You have caught a cold, meaning that you are now sick. You have a large headache, dizziness, and inability to use any type of sight whatsoever. Those symptoms will leave after a time of rest and recovery. The cold will leave you if given proper treatment. If they fail to give you proper treatment, you will die. But you will not go back to your last save point. You will go back to where you will wake up now- captured by the skeletons. That is your new save point."_ Chara explained. Her voice did not waver in the least or show even the tiniest bit of emotion. _"If you reset but want to go back underground, you cannot go back to your last save point. You will have to start all over again. But Sans will be less merciful and less coy. Your journey will be infinitely harder and more painful. Flowey will be forgiving. He will be grateful that you came back and understanding of the situation. He always was patient and forgiving of those whom he has grown attached to."_

Frisk looked back at their sisters playing in the yard. Then their gaze turned to Chara. "How do I choose?"

" _Touch the button,"_ Chara informed them. _"You cannot choose both and you cannot go back on your decision. Understand? This is the first, and last, time you will be able to reset back to the forest. If you choose continue, every reset will start on the golden bed of flowers after your fall."_

Frisk took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Chara." They set their hand on the continue button. It glowed under their hand. A chill smacked into them so suddenly it nearly caused them to gasp and take a step back. It was as if the cold outside had gotten through some sort of barrier around Frisk and bit into their thin clothes.

A slight smile broke over Chara's mouth. _"Good choice. Thank you. Please make Flowey happy for me, will you?"_

Frisk nodded. "I will. Please stay with me."

" _I will."_


	12. Snowdin- Cold

Chapter Eight

 _Cold_

Frisk opened their cloudy brown eyes. Their eyes gave them nothing. Frisk opened their eyes wide and looked about. They couldn't see anything. Blackness consumed their vision. They couldn't see. They couldn't even see smudges of color with no shape or form. They were finally completely blind. They sat up with a heavy groan. Something metal chinked over the metal ground they sat upon and tapped their clothes. Frisk rubbed their neck and hesitated. Their coat was gone. More than that? They now wore a collar. It was quite similar to the one Sans wore save for the fact the spikes on his were gold. A yellow chain attached the collar to a latch somewhere under the cart. Flowey's gasp brought them back to reality. "Frisk! You're still alive! Thank goodness. I thought… I thought you were seriously dead!"

Frisk turned toward the noise but of course didn't see anything. "Y-yeah? Yeah I'm al- oh God." Frisk put their hand over their mouth and curled up into a ball.

"Are you alright? What's wrong? Does your head hurt? Are you sick?" Flowey spoke so quickly that Frisk couldn't even understand them.

Frisk slowly nodded. The splitting headache and horrible nausea they had wouldn't allow for any sudden movements. They took a few deep breaths. "Sick. Feel sick." They put their hand over their mouth again and screwed shut their eyes.

"sick?" a very familiar voice nearby scoffed. "wow. you're much weaker than any humans i've ever heard about." Flowey hissed. Sans hissed back, "back off, little flower!"

Frisk opened their eyes again. After taking a few breaths, they wheezed, "Bread? You have br-bread? O-or bucket?"

"nah. we don't really eat bread," Sans replied with a shrug. "not the bread eating types, to be honest. but, ah… i think we do have a bucket or somethin'. i'm not fetching it, though. i'm staying here."

Flowey scoffed, "Do you want vomit everywhere? They're sick, numbskull!"

"yeah? so?" Sans prompted. "doesn't matter to me. they'll be gone soon, right?"

Frisk slowly shook their head. To took a few deep breaths. "I-I just f-feel sick. R-really."

"complaining won't do you any good, princess."

Frisk shivered as a slight breeze from outside reminded them of their chilliness. "C-can I have my coat back?"

"i don't know. you're going to have to ask the boss," Sans huffed.

"Can I have Flowey back?"

"no. what do you think i am? stupid?" The smaller skeleton scoffed. "no i'm not letting you have your toy back."

"Is that a question?" Flowey put in snidely.

"…"

"Flowey!" Frisk complained. "Please! D-don't be m-mean! J-just because h-he is d-doesn't m-mean that y-you have to be!"

"You're literally _dying_ , Frisk!" Flowey complained. "And you're _still_ defending him?"

Frisk nodded. "Yes. I am. I-It's n-not right t-to- to-!" They attempted to hold a hand to their mouth but failed. The candy they ate earlier, heavily mixed with stomach acid, was heaved out of their stomach. Sans took a few steps back to avoid getting sick on them. Frisk wheezed and coughed and gripped their neck and chest. God that thing around their neck was constricting! When they were finally able to level out their breathing enough to talk, they wheezed, "Are you trying to choke me?"

"nope," Sans answered. "you need to be alive remember? but I can if you want."

Before Frisk could respond to his snide comment, Sans picked up part of the yellow chain and tugged them back. Frisk wheezed and fell back. Immediately, they grabbed at the thing that now choked them and attempted to pull it away. Sans laughed at the human's feeble struggles. Eventually, when Frisk got to the end of the cage, Sans let go. Frisk sat back up, wheezing and gasping for air. Their dizziness caused them to feel the world rock under them. When was the last time they were that sick? Frisk couldn't remember a time when they got _that_ sick.

Frisk thought for a moment and then reached through the bars of their cage. Their back was pressed up against bars that were flush with the wall. To their right, they could feel something. Their hand fell onto something _very_ soft. It was almost as if their old puppy, full of fuzz, had come back and sat quietly beside her.

The fluffy thing jerked out of their gripped. "that's me your touchin' kid."

Frisk retracted their arm as if burned. "I didn't know that. I'm sorry. You're very fluffy."

Sans growled, "i'm not _fluffy._ my jacket's just furry."

Flowey chuckled, "Now that you mention it, you _are_ fluffy! So, that's why I was never afraid of you. You're so tiny and fluffy and cute!"

"i'm not cute!" Sans barked.

"You're so indignant," Flowey laughed. "Aw! You're like little doggy. Bark, doggy!"

"i wouldn't be speaking if i were you, _flower._ "

"At least I don't pretend to be threatening, cutie."

"Flowey!" Frisk huffed and then smiled. "I don't _see_ what you mean! He's very threatening!"

Flowey chuckled. "I have to _hand_ it to you, Frisk. He has some teeth!"

"would you two shut up?" Sans snarled.

Flowey clucked his tongue. "Man, you have a really _short_ temper, don't you?"

Frisk giggled. "Oh, Flowey! That was really _cold!_ "

Flowey laughed back. "I don't _snow_ what you're talking about."

"har, har," Sans growled. "laugh it up. you won't be laughing soon enough."

Flowey tipped his head and stuck his tongue out with a cute wink. "Don't be so angry, Sans! We're just playing. You've really given us a _small_ amount of things to do, you know. Oh, look at you! All fluffed up and indignant! You're pretty cute!"

Sans snarled at the flower, "shut up!"

Frisk's smile dissipated. "Flowey, I think we've gone far enough."

"What do you mean?" the flower inquired. "You're not feeling bad for this smiley trash bag are you?"

"I think you've gone far enough," Frisk replied. "He's really not happy."

"Frisk, do you even know where you are?" Flowey prompted. "He and his brother have trapped us _both_ down here. They're both going to send us to the castle to be killed!"

Frisk nodded. "I know. But they're just doing their jobs. Sans is just following orders and it's not like he _means_ to be like he is. That's like teasing you for being a flower. You don't _mean_ to be a flower. I don't mean to be blind."

"Sans did tease me about being a flower, you know," Flowey pointed out.

"Well… yes… but…"

"Come on, Frisk. It's not like he has the backbone to attack us- or the power. I hear you're pretty weak, Sans," Flowey sneered. "No one else fears you, huh? They just fear your 'boss'. You don't even call him brother, do you? How sad." The memory of Greater Dog flashed through their mind. Sans had picked up the dog with telekinesis and threw him across the bar with such strength that the dog destroyed a third of the place and died.

"i am _not!_ " Sans barked. "i'm not weak!"

"Prove it!" Flowey sneered. "Bet you can't hurt me from all the way over there!"

"No! Flowey! Don't antagonize him!" Frisk pleaded. "We don't want another fight!"

Something red glowed in Sans' hand and he whipped around to face the flower. Quite suddenly, however, the red bone vanished. Sans stood up straight and forced a sneer. "you really think i'd be stupid enough to do that? you really _are_ an idiot."

Frisk sat up straight. Sans' back was to them _and_ he was close. They could easily touch his jacket… or that collar he wore. Frisk set a hand on their neck. Were they similar? Flowey chuckled, "Of course! Why do you think I was goading you, cutie?"

Sans growled, "shut up before i make you."

Flowey laughed. "Oh whatever! Like you're going to do anything about it."

Frisk reached forward and set their hands on Sans' jacket. The fur on it became bushier and fluffier as Sans puffed up to make himself look bigger, though he only managed to make his jacket fluffier.

"Aw! You're blushing!" Flowey cooed. "How adorable!"

Frisk's fingers tangled into the fur.

"god dammit, flower! shut up before i _make_ you!"

"Make me! Bet you can't, weak little cutie."

Sans took a step forward. Frisk jumped and tensed. The skeleton yelped as if electrocuted and whipped around. Frisk's grasp was immediately lost. The infuriated skeleton snarled and shoved Frisk back. It didn't do much. The force he put behind his hand wasn't nearly the force he could've put behind it. However, that wasn't the real effect. Frisk's chest turned cold as their soul turned blue. Sans shoved them back. The young human gagged as they rapidly reached the end of their chain. Their knees and hands hit the hard metal bars of the end of the cage, but the collar they wore nearly snapped their neck. "stop _fucking_ messing with me!"

Frisk was yanked back so that they were in the center of the cage and thrown upwards. Frisk gasped as the wind was knocked out of them and their headache came back in earnest. Dizzy and in pain, Frisk struggled and whimpered. Tears began to form on their cheeks. Sans let go. Their soul turned red. Their chest warmed up again. Frisk hit the metal floor very hard. "O-okay," they whimpered and shakily sat up. They sniffled and rubbed away the tears from their eyes. Unfortunately, new ones replaced the old.

Sans turned back to Flowey. "you, too, weed."

Flowey didn't react to Sans. He just watched his suffering friend with round eyes and an open mouth. "A-are you okay?" the flower inquired, voice shaky and high-pitched in fear.

Frisk forced themselves to nod. "Y-yeah. I… I could feel better. I-I don't feel like throwing up again." However, that meant that since nothing was in their stomach and the nausea passed, they were hungry again. "Kind of miss the candy I'd eaten earlier. Haha… I'm a sucker for candy. I wish I had that cinnabunny."

Flowey forced a chuckle. "Y-yeah. You worked really hard for that, didn't you?"

Frisk smiled and nodded. "You were really mad at me. Hah. Thanks for helping me. You're really good at that game."

"Only because I have vines," Flowey chuckled. "No need to thank me. I'm your friend. Friends are together, right? God. This is big mess, isn't it? I kind of wish we could just… start over. Reset our adventure. Maybe we could have just stayed where we were." His voice became morose.

Frisk frowned. "I know. I loved her, too. But there's no use thinking about that kind of stuff, right? What's done is done. You can't go back in time and fix everything. That would just make it unfair."

"…Frisk. You were really still and quiet after you got knocked out," Flowey pointed out. "Were you… dreaming or something?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. I was dreaming about my sisters running around in the snow. They were playing a game of chase or a snow fight or something. I'd kind of forgotten that we were in the snow! Right here! Haha… too bad I didn't get to say hello. I woke up before I could. I think I forgot I was dreaming because I wasn't cold. I was just… warm, like in my pajamas back by the fire where we roasted marshmallows and drank hot chocolate." Unknown to Frisk, Sans' anger had slowly diminished. Interest, and even the slightest bit of guilt, now replaced his indignant fury. "But then I got cold again."

"Frisk… you're looking really bad. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm just a bit sick. I'm alright," Frisk replied. "Really. I've been sick before. I guess I should have listened to mom, right? 'Put on a coat or you'll catch a cold!' Haha."

Flowey laughed. "Mom told me that, too! 'You might be fuzzy, but you still need a coat or you'll catch a cold!' Hehe. Seriously. You need a coat."

Frisk rubbed their head. "I-I know that. But I don't have one, remember?" They hesitated and then leaned on the cage bars. Sans was quite close. Again, he was within arm's reach. "H-hey. Sans?"

The skeleton turned to look at them "yeah?"

"I'm sorry for teasing you."

"uh-huh. you're just saying that because i hurt you."

"No. I really am sorry. I don't like upsetting people. And… I know that Flowey was being a bit rude earlier. But that's only because he was hurt by what you said. So, if you stopped saying mean things to each other, then neither of you would get hurt!" Frisk smiled at the end of their speech.

"cute. you are so oblivious to the world around you, huh?"

"I'm not." Frisk shook their head. "When I fell down here, I was really confused. I was scared. Then, Flowey helped me. Toriel helped me. Although the monsters around me showed meanness, I knew that they didn't mean it. They were scared and hurt. I know that someday, everyone will start to get along. I believe that everyone has good in them, even if they don't realize it." Before Sans could make a snarky retort, Frisk wrapped their arms around them from inside of the cage and pulled him in for a hug. Sans gasped in surprise but didn't move. The fluff of his jacket brushed against their cold fingers. However, though the jacket itself was quite poofy, they could still feel the bones underneath and his skull, which was, oddly enough, not cold.

"what the hell?" Sans pushed them away and took a few steps back. "what the hell was that?!"

Frisk sat back and stared at him, though both of them knew any of Sans' body language, or gestures, would be lost on them. "I hugged you. I hope you know what that is."

"y- i mean _why?_ are you deaf or somethin'? i told you _not_ to touch me." Sans' confused words turned back into a growl. Perhaps that was the emotion he liked the best in a situation in which he couldn't process or in which he was uncomfortable in.

"Okay." Frisk shrugged. "But… I didn't mean to hurt you. Did I?"

"no. just don't do it again, brat," Sans muttered and turned away from them again.

Frisk looked up at Flowey and waved. "Well, good-night." They scooted back enough so that they could lay down. They didn't have a blanket or a pillow. So, they had to use their arm instead. Upon doing so, they touched their arm to their forehead. They were quite warm. Yet they felt cold.


	13. Snowdin- Sick Day

Chapter Nine

 _Sick Day_

"WELL? ARE YOU GOING TO WAKE THEM OR NOT? …WERE YOU _SLEEPING?!_ _"_ Papyrus's bark came from the doorway as it opened.

"no, boss. i wasn't sleeping. are we taking the whole cage or…?"

"WE CAN'T LUG THAT THING ALL THE WAY TO THE CASTLE! WE'RE WALKING."

Frisk raised their head and opened their blurry eyes. The door to their cage opened. The chain that tied them to the cage was stuffed through the metal bars and thrown out the door so that Sans could hold it. "come on. we don't have all day."

Frisk carefully got up and got to the end of the cage. When they encountered the open door, they sat down and scooted off the metal floor of the cage. The floor of the basement was just a few feet down. Papyrus presented them with their coat. "YOU'RE USELESS IF YOU DIE OF THE COLD. PUT THIS BACK ON. SANS, PICK UP THE FLOWER, TOO." Frisk immediately put on the coat with a small "Thank you!"

"er- sure thing, boss." Sans strode to the other side of the room and plucked Flowey out of the glass cage.

Frisk held out their hands. "Can I have him back, please?"

Sans looked Papyrus. "…YES."

Flowey was put in Frisk's arms. They squeaked happily and put Flowey inside their jacket. "Hello, Flowey!"

Flowey smiled and looked up at Frisk. "Oh, I am _so_ glad I'm back with you and not in that stupid glass vase or whatever that is."

"YES, YES. THAT'S GREAT. LET'S GET A MOVE ON." Papyrus climbed upstairs and out into the frosty morning. "FOLLOW ME, HUMAN. DO NOT MOVE AN INCH OUT OF PLACE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"Yes, sir. I do," Frisk answered with a short nod. "But, um, you walk really fast. What if I trip?"

"THEN GET BACK UP AGAIN. UGH. DO I HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU? KEEP. MOVING. IF YOU FALL, GET BACK UP." Papyrus answered in a terse voice.

"I'll tell you if there's something in the road," Flowey reassured them.

Frisk smiled. "Thank you, Flowey. You're a really good friend."

"do i have to listen to your gooey friendship shit or will you shut up sometime soon?" Sans asked in a scathing voice.

Frisk didn't look back. "We're just talking. By the sound of it, we're probably going to be walking for a while. Plus, can we even do anything else?"

Flowey smiled and replied with the innocence of a newborn kitten, "Yeah. I mean, we're not really doing anything wrong. Plus, I'm their seeing-eye flower."

Frisk nodded and about answered but cut themselves off with a sneeze.

"Bless you!" Flowey's reply was immediate. "Are you feeling any worse?"

"I'm fine, really," Frisk reassured him. "Must've, uh, gotten dust on my coat or something. I'm perfectly okay." The head-ache that threatened the edge of their mind contradicted this statement.

Frisk didn't seem to sneeze any time through their travel through Snowdin. Their voice was still light-hearted and their step light. However, there came a point in time very soon after leaving Snowdin where they were forced to cross a river. Papyrus stepped through with ease, even dodging rocks that slid through the waterfall. Sans didn't mind having water rush past him almost as high as his waist. Frisk, on the other hand, gasped in the coolness of the water and stumbled quite frequently in the force of not only the water, but rocks that came from the waterfall. Unfortunately, after getting out of the water, their pants were soaked and they were cold.

Soon after leaving the waterfall, they waded through a small patch of very tall grass in a thinner hallway. An armored monster stood at the top, one bright eye flashing as she looked down upon the traveling group. Her eye followed the human, though she'd occasionally look at Papyrus. Frisk sneezed and shivered.

The next puzzle they encountered involved throwing bridge seeds into the water. After all four seeds aligned, they'd bloom and create a bridge. Papyrus solved this puzzle very easily and they were able to proceed almost without hindrance.

As they traveled the winding, wet tunnels, Frisk began to shiver and sneeze more often. Their nose was runny and their head was fuzzy. They could hardly think, much less walk in a straight line.

"Frisk, you're not okay. We have to stop," Flowey decided.

"IF YOU HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN, WE _NEED_ TO GET TO THE KING'S CASTLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE," Papyrus denied.

"Frisk is sick! Humans do that!" Flowey pointed out. "Humans can also die of stuff like colds. Come on. You said that you didn't want them to die before reaching the castle. If they go on any longer without any type of treatment or rest, they're going to die. Look! They're not even walking in a straight line!"

"Flowey, please. It- it's nothing," Frisk sniffled. "I can keep going for a little while longer."

"Don't agree with him!" Flowey snapped.

Frisk recoiled. "F-Flowey, I wasn't agreeing with anybody. I'm okay to walk. It's just a cold. Really. You don't have to- to worry over me." They sneezed again.

"you heard them. they're fine," Sans huffed and waved his hand. In doing so, the yellow chain that was latched to the collar Frisk wore shuttered.

Flowey growled and glared ahead. "Fine. But if they get any worse, we're _stopping._ "

"I'll be okay, Flowey. Thank you for your concern." Frisk mumbled and coughed.

Unfortunately, Frisk was not correct. The longer they tread through the humid tunnels, often having to wade through water, the sicker they got. Finally, coughing heavily, Frisk staggered to a stop. "C-can't we sit down f-for a little while?"

Sans pushed them forward. "we're almost out of waterfall. you can make it."

"WE _ARE_ ALMOST OUT OF WATERFALL. WE CANNOT STOP, NOW," Papyrus stated in a brisk tone.

Flowey growled, "No! We're stopping! That's final!"

Papyrus spun around so quickly that Flowey gasped and leaned back in surprise. "ARE YOU… TRYING TO ORDER ME AROUND, _WEED?_ "

Flowey straightened himself out and glowered at Papyrus. "Yes. Frisk is sick. We have to stop. We _will_ stop for them."

"WE'RE NOT." Papyrus turned around and continued forward. "THAT'S FINAL. NOW HURRY UP BEFORE I MAKE YOU."

Flowey hissed at him. Frisk forced themselves to move forward. Unfortunately, they could only make it a few feet before they tripped over their own feet. Frisk landed heavily on their side with a pitiful groan. Flowey raised his head. "F-Frisk! Frisk, can you hear me?"

Frisk gave a weak cough in return. They attempted to get to their feet. However, their arms, sapped of strength, refused to even push the muddy earth they lay upon.

"We're stopping, now," Flowey growled and glared up at him. "They can't move any farther. So now we _have_ to stop."

Papyrus shook his head. "IF I'VE TOLD YOU ONCE, I'VE TOLD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES: WE'RE NOT STOPPING." Papyrus gently picked Frisk up and continued walking.

Flowey groaned and set his head on Frisk's heated cheek. "Psst… Frisk… I don't like this plan anymore. I… I… I can't do this without you. We were supposed to do this together! I don't want to lose you… I don't to lose another one… please… please wake up, Chara…. Wake up…"

Frisk didn't answer. Their breath began to become shallower and shallower. Flowey whimpered and began to cry. They could feel Chara's presence beside them. They could feel Chara's pain. They could feel… they could feel… they could… they… they couldn't.

Frisk woke up again, shivering in the cold. "Frisk!" Flowey gasped. "You're awake! Finally. I thought you were gone. Don't leave me again!"

Frisk sat up and winced. They were sore. They currently lay on the metal ground of the cage in Papyrus' and Sans' basement. Sans glanced at them but gave no further notice. The young human sighed. Chara was right; they were stuck here. Frisk attempted to talk to Sans again. They even attempted to make him smile, or have a genuine smile as he had a permanent grin on his face, or hug him. He ended up turning their soul blue and throwing them across the cage again. They didn't get a blanket that night, either. When they woke the next morning, they got Flowey and their coat and went off. They began to show violent symptoms of illness more quickly this time. They died three quarters of the way through Waterfall.

The next time was like the last. The skeletons had no idea what was going on when it came to Frisk dying. Sans seemed to have some recognition of walking through Waterfall with them. However, instead of assuming Frisk was dying, he grew colder and harsher as he assumed they were playing with him. By the sixth time that they died, they'd only gotten just past the bridge seeds.

Flowey groaned as Frisk woke up in the cage- _again._ "Can't we just- look, how about you just humor them and give them a blanket and some medicine?"

"does it look like i care?" Sans snapped. "maybe if i didn't have that odd feeling of déjà vu every time i look at your stupid faces here, i'd be more willing to help."

"That's not Frisk's fault!"

"bullshit."

"Ugh! They're going to _die_ if you don't at least give them something to eat!"

"i'm sure that they're not going to die if they miss dinner."

"You are not helpful." Flowey growled. "Fine. What about Papyrus?"

"the boss isn't here. nice try, though."

Flowey narrowed his eyes. A wide, thick-toothed smile spread across his features. His eyes turned a white so bright they were brighter than the snow outside. "Fine. Let's see about that." His face shifted back to its innocent, cute self. "HEY! THE GREAT PAPYRUS! SANS IS TRYING TO KILL FRISK!"

Sans jumped as if shocked.

The door immediately opened. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? SANS?!"

Sans shrank back and pressed himself against the wall. "th-the flower's just trying to stir up trouble, boss. nothing much."

"Yeah, right," Flowey growled. He turned to Papyrus. "Frisk is dying of a cold and Sans refuses to even give them a blanket. See? Frisk even threw up!"

Papyrus glanced at the place where Frisk had gotten sick–as Frisk had to endure this every time they went back in time–and then at Sans. "ARE YOU REALLY _TRYING_ TO BE INCOMPETANT NOW?"

"n-no, boss. that flower's trying to trick us. That human isn't dying, boss. the flower's just being overdramatic. there's nothing wrong, boss, really." Sans' voice was much quieter than usual and he didn't look Papyrus in the eyes. Guilt prickled at Frisk's heart. They couldn't see Sans practically shaking in his shoes, but they could hear his very obvious fear.

Papyrus approached Frisk. Sans winced and bowed his head further as Papyrus had to stand next to him to be near Frisk. Papyrus took off one of his gloves and set his hand on their head. Once he got their temperature, he put his gloves back on. "SANS, ARE HUMANS SUPPOSED TO BE THIS WARM?"

"n-no."

"ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO VOMIT FOR NO REASON?"

"no."

"THEN WHY, SANS, DO YOU SAY THAT THIS HUMAN IS HEALTHY WHEN THEY'RE VERY OBVIOUSLY SICK?"

"h-humans are st-sturdy, right, boss?"

"STURDY," Papyrus scoffed. "THIS HUMAN NEEDS A FLOWER TO EVEN WALK PROPERLY! GO FETCH A BLANKET AND… HUMAN? WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU GET SICK?"

Frisk answered in a mumble, "Sleep, eat soup, and stay warm."

"WELL YOU CAN'T SLEEP HERE, THEN. SANS: GO GET THEM SOUP. FLOWER! WHAT DO YOU DO?"

"Make sure they're okay. You have to sit with them all the time," Flowey encouraged. "But I'll do that. And… and you have to encourage them to get better. If they get really sick, you have to… to keep their spirits up. Because you have to be happy to get better. They can't move too much, or they'll just get weaker."

Frisk piped up, "You took care of a sick person?"

"Yeah. My d- friend's dad got really, _really_ sick one time. He nearly… nearly died. But since we took really good care of him he got better," Flowey replied with a bright smile.

Papyrus opened the cage, then. "GOOD. WHY ARE YOU STILL STANDING HERE?" Papyrus snapped. Sans jumped and raced out of the basement. "COME HERE, HUMAN."

Frisk shakily got up and staggered to the end of cage. Papyrus unlatched their chain, picked them up, took Flowey out of his cage, and walked outside. For a few moments, snow bit into their thin clothes and wreathed about them. A door was opened and they were soon inside a really warm home. Frisk was laid down on a soft, green couch. A nightstand was set down on the ground beside the couch so that Flowey could stay beside Frisk. A TV was across the room. To the left was a staircase. To the right was the kitchen. "STAY HERE, HUMAN." Papyrus trotted up the stairs. He soon came back with a black and red decorated blanket for them.

Frisk smiled and closed their eyes. "Thank you, Papyrus."

Papyrus hesitated and nodded. "ER- YES. WELL, YOU NEED TO SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH TO GET TO THE CASTLE. SO, NO NEED TO THANK ME."

Sans came in through the door, a covered bowl in his hands as well as a spoon. He set the food and utensil down on the stand beside Frisk and took a few steps back. "there you go, boss. i just got it from the shop."

"THE SHOP? WELL… THAT'S ACCEPTABLE, I SUPPOSE. THE HUMAN WILL STAY HERE FOR A SHORT TIME LONGER. GO BACK TO YOUR STATION TO MAKE SURE THAT NO OTHER HUMANS FOLLOW," Papyrus ordered with a wave of his hand.

"yes, boss." Sans hurried out the door in an instant.

Flowey bit the sheet on the soup and pulled it back. It was a bowl of broth with a hint of cinnamon. Frisk sat up almost immediately to eat the food before them. "Be careful," Flowey warned. "You have to eat really slowly, okay? And cool it off before you eat it, or you'll burn yourself."

Frisk nodded. "Okay. Thank you." They attempted to take the spoon from beside the soup but failed miserably as they were nowhere near it. One of Flowey's vines wrapped around their wrist and guided their hand to the utensil.

"…YES. WELL, I'LL BE COMING BACK SOON ENOUGH. STAY HERE." Papyrus left his house as well.

Flowey looked up and smiled back at Frisk. "You'll be fine, Frisk. Just concentrate on getting better, alright?"

Frisk nodded and took a spoonful of the soup. It… was surprisingly very good. Flowey helped blow on the spoonful of soup each time he thought they were too eager to notice it was still too hot. Occasionally, Flowey would crane his 'neck' and look out the window behind the couch. A few people walked briskly about outside. None of them paid any heed to the house. In fact, none of them even got close to it.

"What's outside, Flowey?"

"Nothing, really. There are a bunch of people walking around outside. But that's just about it," Flowey informed them. "There's a bit more snow outside than when we were captured." Flowey relaxed and looked back down at them. "Are you feeling any better?"

Frisk nodded. "Yes. Thank you." The soup was almost halfway gone.

"So… have you been sick a lot before?"

"Sometimes." Frisk shrugged. "Not too often. My little sister got sick pretty often, though."

"How long until you get better?" Flowey inquired.

Frisk shrugged. "Like this? Um… _maybe_ a week. But it'll just be a few days until I feel good enough to walk around again."

The flower sighed. "Oh. That might be a problem."

The young human shrugged again. "Maybe. How long did it take for your dad to get better?"

Flowey sighed. "A month. Then it took about two weeks for him to be his normal self again. But he didn't have a cold or flu. He ate some really poisonous flowers by accident."

Frisk ate another spoonful of soup. "I'm worried about Sans."

"Sans?" Flowey echoed. "Why?"

"Well… Papyrus got super mad at him. And Sans was really, really scared," Frisk pointed out. "What if… what if Papyrus does something to him?"

"I don't see why you care so much," Flowey sighed. "He's done nothing but bad, Frisk! He even refused to help you out! You died so many times because of him. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if he wasn't in the picture, you'd be perfectly fine- as fine as you can be, anyway."

Frisk sighed. "I know, Flowey. You do have a point. He's been very mean. But everyone deserves kindness. He's not mean just because he can be, Flowey. Something made him that way and continues to make him that way."

"You mean: Papyrus?" Flowey inquired.

Frisk shook their head and then hesitated. "Maybe. But everyone here lives in a cramped cavern. I know I'd be grumpy if I had to live a small space with lots of other people all my life. Besides, didn't you see how he reacted to you? It's like people call him fluffy and weak all the time and he probably can't even defy them. The dogs even made fun of him. His brother is very mean to him. It's like he doesn't even love Sans. I think… I hate to think this. I seriously, seriously hate to think this. But that collar he's wearing… it might not even be on his own accord."

"Maybe." The flower looked back outside and then at Frisk. The bowl of soup was now empty. Frisk could feel their health, their soul, growing warmer under the gentle healing of the soup. "Well… go to sleep. You need the rest, okay?"

Frisk nodded. "Okay, okay. Just… tell me if anything comes up, okay?"

Flowey nodded. "Alright, I will. I'll keep a look out."

"Thanks, Flowey." The young human shifted so that they were more comfortable. They very easily fell asleep.


	14. Snowdin- Nightmares

Chapter Ten

 _Nightmares_

"FLOWER! HOW ARE THEY FEELING?" Papyrus ordered. A breath of chilly air tailed the skeleton's entrance.

"They're asleep," Flowey answered. "They're feeling _much_ better. They haven't coughed or sneezed in a long time. They fell asleep a few minutes after you left- just about straight after finishing their soup."

Frisk opened their eyes. "Hmm…? Flowey?"

Flowey turned back to them. "You're awake! Are you better?"

Frisk nodded and sat up. "Yeah. I still have a headache… and tired… but I'm good."

"YOU JUST SLEPT! WHY ARE YOU TIRED? DOES THAT HAPPEN TO ALL HUMANS?" Papyrus prompted.

Flowey nodded. "Yeah. But only if they're not feeling well."

"funny how that seems to happen to them and _only_ them." Sans' scathing voice appeared beside Papyrus. "the road's clear, boss. we're ready to leave when you are."

Flowey rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Funny how they're also the only blind human down here, too. And the only human their age. _And_ the only sick human."

Papyrus sighed heavily at Sans' and Flowey's sarcasm. "UGH. WELL, WE'LL BE BACK LATER. WE'RE GOING TO TALK WITH CAPTAIN UNDYNE. IF YOU'RE AWAKE, WE'LL GET YOU SOMETHING TO EAT," Papyrus swept out the door, cape fluttering in the snow-laden breeze as he went. Sans, with one last glare at Flowey, followed him.

Frisk watched the door for a few moments before laying down and looking at Flowey. "You really shouldn't have made Sans mad at you. He… doesn't seem like the forgiving sort."

Flowey watched Frisk with a morose gaze. "You are too kind, Frisk." He leaned down, picked up the lip of the blanket in his teeth, and pulled it over Frisk. "This place does not deserve you."

"Of course, it does." Frisk closed their eyes. "This place is magical. I've always wanted to be in a magical place. When I was younger, my sisters and I would build forts from the pillows and cushions and make castles. We pretended to have magic and be fairies, I think? No, my little sister, Emma, was a fairy. Cammy and I were both wizards. So, it's really nice to be in a place of magic."

"Well then… I'm sorry that this is your introduction into magic, Frisk," Flowey mumbled.

"That's okay. I like this place, actually. It reminds me a lot of home."

"Home?" Flowey echoed.

Frisk nodded. "Yep! I grew up most of my life in a big city. Everyone there was pretty… unforgiving. You know, lots of bad things happened. People were mean to each other. Sometimes, when on the road, people would get out of their cars to hit other cars. Sometimes, people with guns would run into a place and steal stuff. Then people also said very unkind things to one another. The kids at my school started off nice. As they got older, they got mean, too. There were even people who captured other people. Sometimes it was noble, like a policeman–that's a type of human guard–catching a bad guy. Sometimes, bad guys would catch good guys. I was never captured, which is good."

"But you just got captured," Flowey pointed out.

"I know. But Papyrus and Sans are good people," Frisk pointed out. "I'm not a bad person. However, I _am_ a human. So, that's reason enough. Humans are a threat, I think? Anyway, the humans on the surface that capture people, the bad ones, do really bad things to people they catch. So, I'm glad it Papyrus and Sans who caught me instead of someone from the surface."

Flowey wheezed, "What can be- what? They let you freeze to death so many times. They put you in a metal cage. You died from sickness and cold six times. Sans was trying to get back at you for something you didn't do by making you feel even worse! That's not to say how Papyrus 'caught you.' You were nearly killed by him. What could a human do that's even _worse_ than that?"

"Lots of things," Frisk answered. "My parents wouldn't tell me most of them. But I do know that lots of the bad people kill who they have. Or they send them off somewhere and take them away from their families. But since Papyrus and Sans didn't do either of those, willingly of course, they're good."

"They're taking you to the capital to die."

"Well, yes. But that doesn't make them bad. They're not doing it to be evil. They're doing it for the good of their people. So, that makes them okay. Plus, look at Sans! He's never physically attacked you. And he does everything Papyrus tells him to. Papyrus probably does everything he has to do, too. Now, I know that he can be very mean. But honestly, I think he's a good person on the inside but has suffered so much, that he makes this terrible shell. My sister did the same thing."

Flowey chuckled. "Frisk, you have the biggest heart that I've ever seen."

Frisk smiled and curled up into a ball. "You're the nicest friend I've ever had, Flowey."

Frisk woke up as the door opened. Papyrus strode inside, Sans at his heel. Papyrus went straight to his room. Sans, glaring daggers at Flowey, set down another bowl of soup and stalked back to his room. Flowey bit the wrapping on the soup and pulled it back to reveal the same broth they had earlier.

"Frisk?" Flowey prompted as he guided Frisk's hand to the spoon. "You… I mean, I know you're blind. But you used to be able to do this stuff. Why not now?"

Frisk sighed and shook their head. "It's just… I mean it's worse. It used to be bad but ever since I woke up in that cage I just can't see anymore. At all. It used to be that I could see colors. I mean, I knew Papyrus was some sort of black and red shape. Sans was black, red, and gold. You're yellow and white. Mom was red and pink. But now I just can't see _anything_."

Papyrus walked back down the stairs, then. "HUMAN?"

Frisk jumped and turned their head toward the direction of the noise. "Huh? Oh! Hello, Papyrus!"

"YOU ARE BLIND?"

"Er- yes."

"…DID YOU BECOME BLIND AFTER OUR BATTLE?" Papyrus prompted.

Frisk shook their head and then hesitated. "W-well… I was legally blind before. That means I could only see colors. Like, blobs of color. Nothing too close, though. But, yeah. Ever since I woke up that sick, I haven't been able to see even that. I'm sure it was just me getting sick or something. Nothing to do with you. It'll come back soon."

"SO, THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE?" he took on a tone of surprise.

"…yeah. I've just never been so sick before. Normally, I just get headaches and I can't really understand what I'm seeing. But it always gets better," Frisk reassured him.

The taller skeleton hesitated and gave them a brisk nod. "…GOOD. WELL, IF YOU DID NOT KNOW, IT IS NEARLY NIGHT. THEREFOR SANS AND I WILL BE HERE."

Frisk sat up straighter. "Oh cool! Who are the night guard?"

"ER, SOME PEOPLE FROM WATERFALL AND A FEW PEOPLE HERE," Papyrus answered. "YES. THEY'RE QUITE WELL TRAINED, TOO."

"Does it ever get darker here? Like, it's light in the day and dark at night?"

"LIKE THE SURFACE? NO." Papyrus shook his head. "WELL, WE'LL TEST YOU IN THE MORNING AND LEAVE PROMPTLY AFTER. SO, BE READY."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, again!" Frisk purred. "You've been very nice to us while we stayed here." Flowey scoffed. Frisk pouted at him. "Flowey! He just let us stay inside _and_ gave us something to eat. I'd call that nice."

"WELL… LIKE YOUR FLOWER SAID, SICK HUMANS DON'T TRAVEL THAT WELL." Papyrus strolled into the kitchen, fixed something, walked back out, and then went to his room.

Sans, one elbow on the railing of the second story, huffed, "wow. he's antsy. what'd you two do?"

Frisk shrugged. "I don't know. Hey, Sans? Can I ask a question?"

"ask all you want," Sans replied with a wave of his hand. "i won't guarantee an answer."

"Okay. What does the barrier look like?" Frisk inquired.

"the barrier?" Sans echoed.

Frisk nodded. "The thing keeping everyone locked up in here. There is a barrier, right?"

"yeah. course there is. the damn thing's been here since forever. but it isn't that amazing. it's a black and white wall, kinda. why do you want to know?"

"I was curious," Frisk replied with a shrug. "I've never seen any type of barrier or whatever from outside."

"i hardly think you saw anything, anyway," Sans pointed out.

Frisk giggled. "You have a point there!"

The skeleton narrowed his eyes at the failed insult. "well, the king might let you see it. after all, he's going to use your soul to break it."

Frisk perked up. "If you break the barrier, everyone can go outside?"

"well, duh."

"What does it take to break the barrier?"

"seven human souls," Sans answered. "which is why my boss is going to get the best promotion after this. you're the very last human we need, kid."

"Oh. That makes sense. I've never been _first_ in anything." Frisk chuckled. Sans didn't laugh. "Anyway, thank you! I was curious as to why I was here is all and why everyone's stuck here. But it must be nice."

"what?"

"I mean, leaving," Frisk answered. "It must be nice knowing that you'll be able to leave very soon. I can understand if you're impatient. I am, too." They chuckled.

"you realize you're going to die, right?" Sans inquired, "or do you not know what that means?"

"I know perfectly well what it means," Frisk answered. "But I'm going to enjoy being outside, too. I know I'll probably die to do it, but at least I won't be… well… anywhere!"

Flowey looked at them in concern. "Um… what do you mean, Frisk? Y-you don't _want_ to die, right?"

Frisk looked at him in shock and hesitated. "Flowey, if I wanted to die, I'd have killed myself by now. It doesn't matter if I _want_ to die. I'm going to either way. I just need to make peace with it. If they bring me to castle, I'll die. If I go to the castle myself, I'll die. Both options are bad for me but good for them- especially for Papyrus and Sans because after capturing and delivering me, they'll be honored!"

Flowey's gaze turned sad. "You're too kind, Frisk. Go to sleep; you need your rest."

"…yeah. you do," Sans agreed, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Frisk lay down and pulled their blanket over themselves so that their nose touched the wooly black-and-red blanket.

Before they could go to sleep, there was a hard knock on the door. Sans started to walk downstairs but Papyrus cut him off. When Papyrus opened the door, they found five dogs. Dogamy and Dogarressa bowed their heads and knelt on the porch before him. Doggo, head tipped, knelt between Greater Dog and Lesser Dog. "DOGS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Dogarressa piped up, "We heard that someone of your household is sick. So, we brought a gift." She rocked back on her heels and looked up at him. She offered a covered bowl. "This is medicine. My husband and I make it for people who have gotten sick from the cold."

"WHO TOLD YOU THERE WAS SOMEONE SICK HERE?" Papyrus prompted, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"We smelled it," Dogarressa answered in a plain voice. "We have very good senses of smell. We couldn't help but smell the sickness. I apologize if we are intruding. We both understand the time of day it is."

Papyrus hesitated before taking the bowl from them. "…WHY ARE YOU GIVING US THIS?"

This time, both dogs looked up. Dogamy answered, "It is tradition to heal a sick one. When someone gets sick, everyone else gives gifts to them." He turned his head back to look at the other dogs. Doggo stood up. In his hand was a bag of dog treats. Greater Dog held a relatively new looking stuffed bunny. Lesser Dog wielded a thermos. Papyrus, too confused to be suspicious any longer, took the gifts offered to him.

Dogarressa spoke up again. "We wish your ill one a speedy recovery. The medicine should help them greatly. If you require more, we will be more than happy to make more. The stuffed toy should give them a bit more comfort and the treats should make them happier. The drink is hot; it'll keep them warm. It's cinnamon bark tea." Her gaze flicked to the side to see Frisk. Her ears perked up before returning to Papyrus.

"YES. WELL, THIS SEEMS TO BE APPROPRIATE. YOU SHOULD GO TO SLEEP. TOMORROW WILL BE BUSY."

"Yes, sir," the Dogi answered in unison. "We wish your household to be cleansed of illness soon." They got up and turned around. Lesser Dog, tail wagging, held Dogarressa's paw. Greater Dog bounded beside him. Dogamy waved his hand to give Doggo a constant moving object to see. The door shut.

Papyrus set down the medicine, thermos, treats, and toy on the table beside Frisk. Papyrus turned to Flowey. "ARE THESE GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE HUMAN?"

Flowey bit the lid of the bowl and popped it off. Multiple pieces of round food pellets were in it. "Oh wow. This is a really, really, _really_ old recipe. I wouldn't doubt it, actually. This medicine is really good for people with colds. I remember it being used. They got well very soon. But it, uh, doesn't work on people who got poisoned. Anyway, this should do the trick." Flowey pulled out a paper from the bottom of the bowl. "Yep. Instructions on how to use it."

Papyrus inspected the paper. "WELL… GOOD. HUMAN! EAT ONE OF THESE NOW. YOU CAN HAVE THE TEA WITH IT IF YOU W- NEED TO. OF THESE TREATS?"

"They're… uh… treats," Flowey replied. He opened the bag completely. "Yep. In the shape of bones. I'm sure they're fine. Here you go, Frisk."

"Thanks!" Frisk tapped the table with one of their fingers until their found the bowl on medicine. They plucked out one of the hard, dry balls of medicine. It was just about the size of a golf ball, had a rough, nearly flaky texture, and was quite dry. Although it felt hard and well put together, it took no effort to bite a chunk off. Frisk's nose scrunched up at the taste. "It tastes like dog food! Not the good kind, either."

Flowey chuckled. "Yep. It does. It's a dog's recipe."

"Well, I've never had medicine made by dogs before. So hopefully it'll help." Frisk finished off the chunk of medicine before reaching for the thermos. It, too, was quite hot. It had a very strong cinnamon flavor, though the odd hint of bark from other types of trees was in it as well.

"WELL, WE WILL SEE YOU IN MORNING. HOPEFULLY THAT MEDICINE HAD HELPED YOU." With that, the skeleton turned and walked back up the stairs.

Frisk drank a bit more before capping the thermos and laying back down. "Good night, Flowey."

"Good night, Frisk."

Frisk woke up a blur. They couldn't recognize anything. They still couldn't see a thing; their vision had gone completely dark. They whimpered and rubbed their eyes. They found dampness on their cheeks. Had they been crying?

"Frisk?" Flowey's voice appeared beside them. "Hey, can you hear me?"

Frisk nodded. "Y-yeah. Yes. Why?"

"You don't look too well," Flowey stated. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"I…" Frisk bit their tongue and nodded. "Yeah. But it was… it wasn't anything important. You know me; I just get scared over the little things. Haha. It wasn't too bad. I'm fine. Really; I'm fine."

"If you say so…" Flowey muttered.

"…IS THIS A SIDE EFFECT OF BEING SICK? DO HUMANS THINK LIKE THAT?"

"Not really," Flowey answered. "I mean, maybe? Er, you did this before, right? In the inn?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. Funny how dreams work. I forgot I was here. Hehe. What's up?"

"I CAME TO CHECK ON YOU TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE HEALING," Papyrus answered in a brisk tone. "TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE ALRIGHT. ARE YOU SURE? DILLUSIONAL WHIMPERING ISN'T 'HEALTHY' TO ANYONE."

Frisk shrugged. "I just got a bit antsy. Dreams do that sometimes- especially when you don't expect it! But thanks for the concern. I'm doing much better."

Papyrus gave them a brisk nod. "IF YOU SAY SO. IT IS MORNING. TAKE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE PELLETS. SANS IS GETTING YOUR SOUP. THEN WE WILL BE OUT PATROLLING. STAY HERE, HUMAN."

"Yes, sir!" Frisk yipped. "Good luck! I hope everything turns out well!"

Papyrus hesitated part way through the door. However, he did not answer. He left. Sans popped by and dropped off their meal before leaving again.

Flowey took off the covering on the cinnamon-tasting broth. "Are you sure you're fine? You looked really distressed there…"

"I'm fine, Flowey. I'm not hurt."

"Are you afraid of your dad?" Flowey inquired.

The young human gasped and then took a deep breath. "What gave you that idea?"

"You were panicking," the flower explained and took out a bit of medicine out for them. "You were saying something about your father."

Tears glimmered in Frisk's eyes. "I-I'm okay. Really. I'll be fine." They sniffled and took bite out of the medicine. "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. Everything's okay." _Nothing's wrong. Everything's okay._ The two simple statements swirled about in their head. They repeated themselves over and over and _over_ again. _"Nothing's wrong. Everything's okay."_ Like muck in a stream, the words collected at the edge of their mind. _"Nothing's wrong. Everything's okay." "He loves us. You just don't see it." "See? He wore black so that you can see him." "You're okay, Sweet-heart. It's just a little bruise." "Everything's fine." "Just believe me, okay?" "We love you, Sweet-heart." "Don't do that again, okay? He gets really mad when you do." "Don't touch his things, baby girl. Alright?" "Let's go get some ice cream."_

"Frisk?" Flowey's voice brought them back to the present. Frisk looked up at him. "You can tell me anything, Frisk. Really! You can trust me. I won't hurt you. I'm your best friend, remember?"

Frisk nodded. They finished off the medicine and ate their soup. "I know. But you don't have to worry. I'm fine."

"You're crying."

"I'm not." They wiped away the tears from their eyes. They were very soon replaced. "I'm just… I'm okay. You don't have to keep asking."

Flowey pouted. "Frisk…"

"I said I'm fine." Frisk's voice took a harder tone. They took a deep breath and smiled. "I feel a bit sleepy." They downed the rest of their soup and set it on the counter. "Good ni- er, talk to you later, Flowey." Frisk lay back down and pulled the covers up to their cheek again.


	15. Snowdin- Story Time

Chapter Eleven

 _Story Time_

" _Don't you see? He's horrible!" "I love you, Frisk. I love you so much. But please. He's not good!" "I know what mom said. But he's a liar."_ _"Frisk, we're leaving. We're leaving and never coming back." "I know you hate it here, Frisk. I know it." "You can't SAVE everyone, Frisk! He's irredeemable. Come on." "Oh God. Oh my God. Run, Frisk! I need you to leave!" "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH FRISK AGAIN YOU MONSTER! RUN! RUN, FRISK! I'LL CATCH UP WITH YOU!"_

"Frisk!"

Frisk cried out in surprise upon feeling a vine curl around their hand and rip them from their dreams. They looked up. Flowey stared down at them. "Frisk, it was a bad dream. You're okay."

"I'm… I'm okay…" Frisk sighed and flopped back down. They found the fluffy bunny Greater Dog had given them and squeezed it close to their chest. "I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay." _I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay._

"You had a really bad scare," Flowey commented. "Um… I don't think you should go back to sleep. Stay up for a little while. Who was that in your dream?"

"Who was what?" Frisk inquired.

"You were talking in your sleep. Something about not wanting to do something or trying to save someone. What was wrong?" Flowey prompted.

"Just a bad dream." Frisk mumbled. "I'm alright."

"…who was in it? Was someone trying to attack you?"

Frisk gave him a curt nod. "Yeah. But it's nothing bad. Really."

"No, Frisk. I'm not taking that as an answer," Flowey stated. "I refuse. Frisk, you're having really bad dreams. Sometimes, talking about it helps."

"Flowey, please," Frisk's voice raised to a squeak. "Please let it go. I just… I can't." They flopped back down and buried their face into the couch.

The flower stared down at his boot. After a few moments, he sighed. "I'm sorry, Frisk. I… I hate seeing you sad. Um…"

Sans appeared behind Flowey at that moment. "you are a dumb little flower, aren't you?" Sans huffed. Flowey hissed in surprise and spun around to face him. But the skeleton was now ignoring him. Sans patted the arm of the couch. "kid. you look a bit upset. what do you think about a bedtime story?"

Frisk looked up at him with round, watery eyes. "Huh…? Uh- yeah. Yes, please."

Sans looked about and vanished into thin air. When he came back, he set down a chair next to the couch and sat down. In his hands was a book. Though old, it was long and polished. Gentle, almost constant use had caused it to rub thin in places and yellow the papers. Sans flipped through until it was near the end. "okay. welp, this is the story of goldilocks and the three bears. one day, this kid, a little human girl, ran away from the other humans. but she got lost. eventually, she found a cabin. when she knocked on the door, no one was home. but when she looked through the window, she saw three bowls of porridge. the girl realized she was very hungry and the door was not locked. so, she went inside anyway. she tried to sit the big chair with the big bowl of porridge. but the spoon was very big and heavy and the porridge was very hot. when she tried to move to the medium sized chair with the medium sized bowl of porridge, she found that the porridge was too cold and the seat was still too big. but the smallest bowl of porridge was just right and the smaller chair fit her perfectly. So, she ate the porridge as fast as she could."

Sans spared a glance at Frisk. They watched him with complete attention and fascination. Flowey had lost some of his caution, though he still wasn't relaxed. Papyrus was now out of his room. The door was ajar as if he'd just left to investigate the whimpering. However, upon seeing that Sans had taken out a storybook, he set is arms on the rail and listened to Sans. A foreign look of _happiness_ and excitement made him look as though he was a completely different person.

Sans tried not to look at Papyrus. Instead, he continued with the story. "by the time she'd completely eaten the porridge, goldilocks was very tired. so, she went upstairs and found the bedroom. there was a very big bed. it was difficult to climb into it. but when she did, she found that it was too hard. the medium bed was much too soft. but the smallest bed was very comfortable. tired and warm, goldilocks fell asleep. it was not too long before the owners of the house came home. the first to come in was a big, burly papa bear with long, shaggy fur. upon seeing that a bite had been taken out of his porridge, he exclaimed in a heavy, grumbling voice, 'someone has been eating my porridge!'" Sans changed his voice to fit the heavy voice of Papa Bear. It was like his own, if a bit louder. "the second to come into the house was a medium sized mama bear with short, silky fur. 'oh. someone has been eating my porridge,'" Sans's voice lightened to a pitch like Toriel's. "-she said in a calm, quiet voice when she saw her own bowl of porridge. the third was a tiny, baby bear. his long, fuzzy fur made him look bigger than he was. 'oh no!' baby bear cried, 'someone has eaten all of my porridge!'" Baby bear's voice was squeaky, quite a bit like Flowey's.

Sans glanced up at the small human. Although they were attempting to pay attention, they looked quite sleepy now. Papyrus, still leaning on the rail, did as well. Sans continued, "the three bears decided that the person who ate their breakfast could still be there. so, they went upstairs to check in the first room they found- the bedroom. 'someone has been sleeping in my bed!' papa bear announced when he saw his ruffled bed. 'oh dear. someone has been sleeping in _my_ bed,' mama bear agreed. when baby bear found his bed, he exclaimed, 'oh no! someone is sleeping in _my_ bed!' baby's bear's voice so close to goldilocks that it woke her up. the girl jumped out of bed and exclaimed, 'oh no! i'm so sorry. is this your house?'" Goldilocks' voice sounded similar to Frisk's. "'what are you doing here?' papa bear growled. this only frightened the girl further and made her cry. mama bear scolded her husband, 'she is just a girl! my dear, what are you doing here?' goldilocks answered, 'i was really hungry and tired. i ran away from the humans.'"

Frisk was almost completely asleep now. Flowey had calmed down from his mistrust. Papyrus was starting to dose off as well. Sans continued, "then baby bear asked, 'why did you go away from your parents?' 'i have no parents,' goldilocks said. papa bear was no longer angry. baby bear asked, 'you came here all alone?' when goldilocks nodded, mama bear asked in a sweet voice, 'well, would you like to stay with us?' goldilocks accepted, of course. she ran away from the humans and ended up with big scary beasts. but she soon found out that these bears weren't big and scary. they were very friendly and welcoming. So, goldilocks got to live with her new family and she didn't have to worry about being hungry again." Sans gently closed the book. Frisk was completely asleep, now. Papyrus looked to be in the same state.

Sans stood up and walked over to the flower. He leaned forward and, in as quiet a voice as he muster, "that's how you quiet a scared kid."

"How did you do that?" Flowey prompted. "Er- how did you know?"

"i'm an older brother, of course. by a few years." Sans grabbed his chair and teleported back into his room. When Sans closed the door, Papyrus woke up. It wasn't that loud a sound, but the warrior was trained to wake up at small sounds. Slightly embarrassed, Papyrus walked into his own room and shut the door. Flowey watched Sans' door for quite a while before turning back to Frisk. They now slept much more easily than any of the other nights they spent there.

Frisk's blurry eyes saw nothing. They tried to breath but found it was hard to do so. Their head was still buried in the couch.

"ARE THEY READY TO LEAVE YET?"

"I don't know," Flowey answered. "That soup and medicine… They _could_ be better by now. But they need to wake up, first. Maybe make them walk a little bit."

"HMM… ALRIGHT. I UNDERSTAND. HUMAN! ARE YOU AWAKE?" Papyrus called.

"Hey!" Flowey yelped. "Don't wake them up if they're asleep."

"I WAS _ASKING_ IF THEY'RE AWAKE, WEED."

"Yeah I am." Frisk turned around and sat up. They blinked and few times and smiled. "But I am feeling better! Should I try walking around, Flowey?" Faintly, they could see various pale and dark colors. Papyrus was right beside them. Flowey was on their nightstand. Sans was somewhere in the distance.

"If you feel up to it. I don't want you to strain yourself," Flowey stated.

Frisk took the blanket off themselves and stood up. They tapped the ground with their foot. With a short giggle, they hopped from foot to foot and spun around in a circle. "Yay! I've never gotten over a sickness this fast before!" They laughed and jumped about in a few circles. Sans snickered from somewhere in the room. Flowey beamed. Papyrus, though his eyes were narrowed, watched them with slight amusement. Frisk grabbed Flowey and bounded about.

Flowey yelled in surprise and glee as they got to twirl in circles.

Eventually, Frisk got dizzy and uncoordinated. They stopped and shook themselves. They looked at Sans. With a devilish smile, they bounded over to the skeleton and yanked him forward. He cried out in surprise. Before he could fall, Flowey's vine straightened him back out. "Come on!" Frisk crowed. "Come on! Dance with us!"

"dance? with you?" Sans asked in a breathless wheeze. Although he puffed himself up to look threatening, his abrasiveness was completely and utterly lost on Frisk.

"Yep!" Frisk put Flowey in their coat, took Sans' hand and bounced back. "Come on! It's literally the easiest thing in the world to do! Let's go!"

"no!" Sans snorted in bad temper. "let go of me, kid."

Frisk put their hands on their hips. "Oh yeah? I'm literally blind and I'm good at dancing. I'm super sure that you could if you just tried." Sans recoiled from their touch. Although he bared his teeth further, he didn't snap at them. Frisk smirked. "Come on! Play with us! It won't kill you, I swear."

" _Sans doesn't want to dance,"_ Chara's voice piped up. _"But you force him to, anyway."_

Frisk took Sans by both of his hands and bounced back. Before the skeleton could complain, Frisk lead Sans around in a childish dance that resembled a summoning ritual. "Okay. You just had to go in a circle like this. Come on. Play!"

"i-i refuse!" Sans huffed and let go.

"I can't see the face you're making," Frisk stated, "-but I do see what you're trying to do. Come on. It's a brilliant time to dance! I swear to God that if you do this one dance, I will stop bothering you. I won't force you to do anything more. For as long as we live underground, I will not make you do anything you don't want."

"Yeah!" Flowey agreed. "I won't tease you again!"

Sans grumbled but held out their hands. "fine. once." Frisk squealed in delight and took him by the hands. Flowey whipped out his vines every once in a while to keep Frisk from running into something. Papyrus clenched his teeth together to keep from snickering at Sans and his poor dancing skills.

Eventually, Frisk let go. Flowey righted them as they nearly stumbled into the wall. They shook their head and laughed. "Hey! You're good! Especially for someone who doesn't normally dance. With some practice, you'll be amazing!"

"but you won't bother me about it." Sans righted his jacket as gravity and the motion of air had made it crooked.

"True, true," Frisk agreed and then turned around. They took Papyrus by the hand and took a step back. "Come on! You're turn!" They might be able to move Sans, as he was light and smaller, but there was no way they would force Papyrus to move.

"WHAT? NO! SANS MIGHT BE TOO SOFT ON YOU, BUT I WON'T!" Papyrus took their hand out of Frisk's grasp.

Frisk pouted, though their heavy breaths didn't much help. "Come on! Just one dance. It's awesome! Dancing and singing are two of the best forms of expression!"

" _Papyrus wants to dance, but doesn't show it,"_ Chara informed them.

Frisk took a deep breath and smirked. "What? You're going to let your bro show off awesome dance moves but you won't even try?"

Papyrus huffed at them. "WAS THAT A CHALLENGE?"

"Yep!" Frisk purred and puffed out their chest. Their breathing had evened out. "I will give you the same promise I gave to Sans."

"Me, too!" Flowey agreed, also breathless from keeping Frisk from running into anything.

Papyrus glanced at Frisk and then his brother. Sans shrugged. Papyrus growled, "FINE."

"Yay!" Frisk took him by the hand and bounded back a few steps. Since Papyrus was much taller than Frisk, it was much more difficult trying to teach him. However, it was still doable.

Eventually, Frisk let go and hit the wall. Instead of getting up, they shifted their feet and crossed their arms so they leaned against the wall. Breathing heavily, Frisk smiled and wheezed, "You guys are awesome! Isn't dancing awesome?"

"what are you, some sort of dance professional?" Sans huffed and rolled his eyes.

"I want to be!" Frisk purred. "I would love to be a dancer! Like I said, dancing is one of the greatest forms of self-expression and one of the best ways to relax and be happy. Singing is another one. Singing is a great way to express yourself in a way that isn't normally dangerous! But it's hard to do when you're out of breath. Haha."

Flowey smirked. "You are one of a kind."

"yeah. one of a kind, kiddo," Sans agreed. He hesitated in surprise at his use of words. However, he shrugged it off.

Frisk puffed out their chest. "Thanks! What time is it?"

"IT IS THE LATE AFTERNOON. TOO LATE TO START MOVING," Papyrus answered in a stiff tone.

Frisk shrugged. "If you say so. So, just stay another night, eh? Then we set off in the morning?"

Papyrus gave them a curt nod. "YES. GET A GOOD REST. WE'LL BE LEAVING EARLY IN THE MORNING."

"Okay. We'll be good. Good night!" Frisk waved to Papyrus and walked back to the couch. Papyrus, with a grand flourish of his cape, walked upstairs. Sans stared at Frisk in confusion and suspicion before walking up the stairs. Frisk put Flowey down on the nightstand and lay down again.

"You're a champ, Frisk," Flowey purred and bowed his head. "If this is our last day together, then you know how to make a good day last. Good night, Frisk."

"Good night, Flowey."

Flowey hissed, " _Frisk!_ Frisk! Wake up!"

Frisk jumped and looked about. It could not be morning, could it? They'd only been sleeping for a few hours. They looked up. Flowey was staring at the stairs. Papyrus vanished into his room. "Wha…?"

"Papyrus… left this for us. It's a note," Flowey breathed. "…and a bag with a tiny key inside."

"What does it say?" Frisk sat up.

Flowey breathed, "'Human. It has come to my attention that we are unable to bring you to the castle. So, you will have to do it yourself. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we simply don't have the time. I hope you understand. I packed food with you so that you won't starve on the way there. In case you get sick again, I've packed your medicine, the thermos with tea, and the treats. I've enclosed a small key. The collar you currently have prevents you from leaving once you get a certain distance from me so long as you wear it. If you don't wear it but still have it, that's fine. It can't hurt you. You should leave as soon as possible. If you get lost, I have enclosed my phone number so you don't have to worry about getting lost. Call me any time. Don't talk to anyone because they might steal this note. Oh, and you should also destroy this note so that my signature can't be forged and no one can take my phone number. -The Great Papyrus.'"

Frisk's eyes grew rounder by the word. "Oh my goodness!" they breathed.

Flowey stared at the paper for a few moments before turning to Frisk. "He's… he's _sparing_ you, Frisk. How?"

Frisk gave him a warm smile. "Everyone has good in them, Flowey. He is a very nice skeleton- just like his wonderful brother. Come on. We shouldn't wake them." Frisk folded the blanket and set it neatly on the couch. Flowey, key in his teeth, unlocked the collar around Frisk's neck. They packed that, their bunny, and the bag in their own shoulder bag and zipped Flowey into their coat. With a soft breath of relief, they turned and quietly walked out of the door.


	16. Waterfall- Echo

Chapter One

 _Echo_

Snow blanketed the ground of the forest. Trees, glimmering in snow, stood tall along the bank of an icy river that snaked all through the Underground. Frisk, donned in a red and black sweater-coat with brilliant red gloves, traveled out of the road from Snowdin to a tunnel carved by the river. A small yellow flower poked out of their coat and brushed their cheek. His tattered petals were framed by the human's short brown hair and the hood of the coat they wore.

Frisk looked up and winced as a drop of water hit their eye. "Is it going to be like this the whole time, Flowey?"

Flowey shook his head. "No. There are some waterfalls in these tunnels here. However, there are parts of waterfall that aren't _as_ wet. It is a marsh, though."

Frisk pouted. "Well… how long until we get out?"

"I don't know. A while, probably. Just, watch where you step. You don't want to fall in."

The river turned away. The tunnel continued onward. Water stopped dripping from the ceiling. Just as well; the floor broke away in one place to allow water to pour out in a waterfall beneath them. A sentry station was pushed up to the top right corner. Sans, an elbow propping up his head on the table, played with something on the station. A brilliant blue flower bloomed from the ground. Beside it, a half-conscious fish monster leaned on the wall. A yellow glimmer of light was on the right side. Before Frisk and Flowey could approach them, as the flower looked inviting, a body just about their size ran into them.

Frisk gasped and took a step back. "Oh goodness! I'm so sorry!"

The person in front of them, an armless kid with a striped sweater, glowered at them. Spikes created a frill over his head and spiked his tail. "Watch where you're going next time!"

"I'm sorry." Frisk straightened up. "I didn't mean to run into you. Hey, what are you doing here, anyway?"

"Whatever I want," the kid snapped immediately and then hesitated. "Well, away. I'm going to go watch Captain Undyne beat up some bad guys."

"Captain Undyne?" Frisk perked up.

Monster kid nodded. "Yeah! Captain Undyne! She's just the coolest! I'm going to be her apprentice and be just like her when I grow up."

"She must be really cool, then."

"Oh yeah, she is." Monster kid nodded his head. "She beats up all the bad guys and runs the entire royal guard. No one messes with her. I'm going out to see her. Are you coming?"

Frisk nodded. "I would love to! I need to get to Hotland, though."

"Oh. To see Mettaton?"

"Er- that would be nice, too!"

"Whatever. He's nowhere near as cool as Captain Undyne." Monster kid shrugged. "Well, bye!" He turned and raced out of Frisk's sight.

Flowey sighed. "Great. Captain Undyne followers. If we hurry, we might slip past them."

Frisk set their hand on the yellow glimmer.

" _The sound of rushing water fills you with determination."_

Frisk nodded and kept going. "Okay."

" _Okay."_ Frisk's voice popped up behind them. They jumped and spun around. The half-conscious fish monster sniffed but did not move.

Sans snickered, "what? never seen an echo flower before? i thought at least your little flower would've known."

Flowey huffed and opened his mouth to retort. He hesitated and rolled his eyes. "Yes. An echo flower repeats the last thing it's heard over and over."

" _Yes. An echo flower repeats the last thing it's heard over and over."_

Frisk chuckled. "Wow! That's so neat! These are all over the place?"

Flowey nodded. "Yeah. They're all over the place."

"That would be so cool if those existed above ground," Frisk reminisced. "It would make a lot of sense. Lots of places seem to talk at night. Like the wind whispers your name or the trees and bushes rustle and cackle or something. Mt. Ebott Nature Preserve is literally the spookiest forest I've ever seen."

"Mt. Ebott Nature Reserve?" Flowey echoed.

" _Mt. Ebott Nature Reserve?"_

"mt. ebott nature reserve?" Sans mimicked.

"Mt. Ebott Nature Reserve!" Frisk giggled. "Aw! You can have so much fun with these flowers."

"…fun. Yeah. Let's keep going, alright?" Flowey encouraged.

Frisk nodded and continued on their journey. "Bye!"

"bye, kid."

" _bye, kid."_

Down the path, a thin wooden staircase led down the waterfall. Unfortunately, it just did a loop next to the waterfall so it didn't help them cross. The waterfall itself burbled and rushed across the stone. Rocks from above crashed into the water and flowed down the waterfall. A trans dimensional box sat cozily beside the waterfall. Flowey craned his neck so that he could read the sign next to the box. "'This is a box. You can put an item in, or take an item out. Why would you though? You can't use items when they're in the box! -Sincerely, a box hater.'"

Frisk knelt and opened the box. Their slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie was still in there. They smiled, got up, and approached the riverside. "Is there a way around?"

Flowey shook his head. "No. We'll have to walk across."

"Oh… well… I don't want to get my coat wet." Frisk gently took off their coat, folded it, and set it inside the box with a little pat. Their bunny was put down as well. They pulled upthe sleeves of their pants up to their knees and, Flowey and shoes in hand, tromped across the river. Once on the other side, they put their shoes back on.

Flowey looked about. "Let's just hope you don't get cold, then. Grass?"

Frisk tipped their head. They were still walking through a thinner tunnel. However, most of it was now blocked by tall grass. The young human carefully stepped through it. Before they could get through it completely, a very familiar voice stopped them.

"HELLO, CAPTAIN. I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT."

Frisk's eyes grew round in surprise. Flowey shook his head vigorously.

"REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER… HUH?" Papyrus cut himself off. A short growl both amplified and muffled by a metal helmet came in response. Papyrus hesitated and answered, "DID I FIGHT THEM? OF COURSE I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VALIENTLY! …DID I CAPTURE THEM? OH! WELL… NO. I TRIED VERY HARD, CAPTAIN, BUT IN THE END… I FAILED." Papyrus could barely choke out the words. Frisk put a hand to their mouth. Flowey looked at them incredulously. "YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN'S SOUL YOURSELF? BUT CAPTAIN UNDYNE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DESTROY THEM. YOU SEE…" The second voice cut him off. "…I UNDERSTAND. I WILL DO WHAT I CAN TO HELP YOU." Papyrus' heavy footsteps faded.

Frisk about spoke but Flowey tapped his head to theirs to quiet them. Frisk took a deep breath and started to move forward. They heard a voice as metal footsteps began approaching the cliff. Above them, all they could see on the cliff was the tip of two large, midnight boots. A glowing spear the color of blue crystal materialized in the knight's left hand, while her right one hovered close to her waist. Her long red hair brushed her elbows and back.

Eventually, the knight let go of the spear, which immediately dematerialized, and took a few steps back.

Frisk took a shaky breath and walked very carefully through the grass and to the ground on the other side. A yellow glimmer hovered a few feet away. Before they could make it, Monster Kid raced out of the grass, too. He laughed and looked about. "Yo! Did you see the way she looked at you? Aw man, that's so cool! C'mon! If we hurry, I bet we can watch her beat up some bad guys!" The boy raced ahead again. Unfortunately, he tripped and fell on his face. Before Frisk could aid them, Monster Kid jumped back up and kept running.

" _A feeling of dread hangs over you… but you stay determined."_

Frisk took a deep breath. "I don't want to think about what that means."

Flowey nodded. "Me, neither. Hopefully there's a way we can keep avoiding her."

Frisk continued their walk. Eventually, they got to a section where a stream cut through the trail. A sign next to four leafy seeds was before it. Flowey craned his neck to look at the sign. "'When four bridge seeds align in the water, they will bloom.' Are _those_ bridge seeds?"

Frisk shrugged. "I guess. They're next to the puzzle. Weren't you paying attention when we came through here?"

Flowey shook his head. "I was concerned over your health."

"Oh. Right." They set Flowey down and picked up the first seed. They had to hold the thing with two hands. Once they set it in the water, they gave it a little push. It floated to the other side of the gap. Three more followed it. Once all four seeds had been aligned in a straight row, they bloomed. The leaves grew broad and round. The flowers bloomed and petals lay flat. Frisk picked up Flowey and trotted to the other side.

Frisk gasped as their soul appeared before their chest. A horse swam up before them. From the belly up, it looked to be a brown anthropomorphic horse. From the waist down, a long, green fish tail snaked down. Once he knew that Frisk and Flowey's attention were on him, he flexed his arms and smirked. His fanged teeth glinted in the crystal light. Aaron flexes in!

" _Aaron. Attack 24, Defense 12. HP 96. This seahorse has a lot of horsepower."_

"Check all you want," Aaron laughed and swung at them. Frisk yelped and dodged most of the swings. However, Aaron managed to hit them with his elbow. A crack formed in their soul. Frisk shook their head. Aaron playfully splashed water at them with his serpentine tail.

Flowey grimaced as water was splashed in his face. "Blegh! Plegh! Ugh! My mouth was open."

Frisk shuffled their feet. "Um, yes. But can we pass now?"

"Come in! The water's fine!" Aaron invited with a wink. Frisk dodged another few swings. Aaron didn't seem to maliciously laugh if they got hurt or enjoyed watching their pain.

Chara thought for a moment. Water phased right through them. _"Try flexing back."_

Frisk hesitated and set Flowey down. Flowey looked at them incredulously. Frisk puffed out their chest and flexed at Aaron.

The seahorse laughed, "Flexing contest? Okay, flex more." Aaron's tail whipped around to coil around him but instead ended up slapping his waist. The sweat and water that trickled down his tawny skin flung themselves at Frisk. This attack was almost impossible to dodge. Frisk held a hand to their aching chest. More cracks formed in their soul. Aaron watched them in anticipation. Frisk puffed out their chest again and flexed at him. "Nice! I won't lose, though," Aaron chuckled with a wink. He swung at them again. Frisk jumped nimbly from foot to foot, allowing Aaron very little time to hit them. Eventually, Aaron returned to their original place. Their tail slapped the water again. Frisk jumped back, but their legs were wet and feet soaked so it didn't matter, anyway. Flowey spat out a bit more water and shook droplets from his tattered petals.

Frisk flexed at him again. Aaron, not even challenged by a young human, flexed thrice as hard. He flexed so hard, that he ended up flexing himself out of the room. A few coins clattered to the ground, though a good third of it fell into the water. Frisk pocketed the looted g before picking up Flowey again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm soaked," Flowey grumbled. "But fine. What's ahead?"

"Another seed puzzle, I think," Frisk replied as they crossed the bridge into the next room. They nearly trod upon four more bridge seeds.

A golden bell was at the end of the room with a sign next to it. Flowey looked it over. "'If an error is made, the bell blossom can call the bridge seeds back to where they started.' That's handy. Now this line here…" Flowey turned to the stream on the left edge of the room. A bridge connected it to the other tunnel. However, there was no bridge at the top. Each space between the two parts of land was only big enough to hold three bridge seeds at most. Flowey turned to the southern side of the room. A small strip of land separated a sign in the water from another swatch of water. "Oh! There's a sign over there! Bring those seeds over there. Maybe it will give us a hint."

"I'll check it out." Frisk set Flowey down, picked up a seed, and trotted over to the sign. Unfortunately, partway there, they tripped over an uneven stone. The bridge seed drifted into the water- on the other side of the strip of land. Frisk attempted to grasp it. It drifted to the side under their touch. Frisk groaned and got up. "Darnit."

"You can use the bell," Flowey encouraged.

"Okay. Wait a second…" Frisk picked up Flowey and trotted to the end of the room. The bridge seed had stopped at the edge. "Why did it stop here?"

Flowey craned his neck and looked around the corner. "Oh! There's a dock! Put down a few more."

Frisk immediately set Flowey down and pushed three more bridge seeds into the water. They bloomed and allowed the two passage. There, in a secluded little room, was a bench and an echo flower.

" _I just wasn't ready for the responsibility."_

Frisk tipped their head and knelt. Underneath of the bench was a quiche. Flowey huffed, "A quiche? Responsibility…?" Frisk gently took out the quiche and held it up in their hands.

"' _Abandoned Quiche.' Heals 34 HP. A psychologically damaged spinach egg pie."_

"Aw! It was abandoned!" Frisk whimpered.

"It's a quiche. It's not a real thing," Flowey pointed out. "Someone just baked it. Maybe someone baked it and the other person didn't really like it and put it here? I don't know. It's just a quiche. Come on; let's solve that puzzle."

Frisk gently wrapped the quiche and set it inside of their bag. Once it was safely put away, they picked up Flowey and went back into the next room. New seeds had formed. Frisk went over to the bridge and pushed them upstream so that the bridge seeds were caught on the sides of the stream. They bloomed and allowed passage. Frisk happily skipped across.

Frisk jumped as their phone rang. Flower watched in skepticism as Frisk picked up the phone in one hand and held Flowey in the other. "Hello? This is Frisk."

"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!"

"Hello, Papyrus!" Frisk greeted. "Wait… did I give you my number…?"

"YES. WHAT WERE YOU WEARING? I'M ASKING FOR A FRIEND. SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING THAT RIBBON."

"Really? Well, I _am_ still wearing it," Frisk answered in reply.

"Wearing what?" Flowey inquired.

"The ribbon," Frisk answered simply.

"SO, YOU ARE WEARING A FADED RIBBON. GOOD. ER- GOOD LUCK." _Click._

Flowey looked at the phone and then up at them. "What was that about?"

Frisk shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe his friend wanted to know if I was his friend or something."

Flowey huffed and turned ahead. "I don't trust this at all. Do you know who 'she' is?"

Frisk shook their head. "No. I don't."

"What if it's that armored monster?" Flowey questioned. "The one who attempted to spear us."

"Maybe. But now that she knows we're friends, maybe she won't spear us!" Frisk gasped and trotted into the next room.

" _A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you wished with all your heart, it would come true. Now all we have are these sparkling stones in the ceiling…"_ the harsh whisper came from a blooming echo flower next to the entrance.

Frisk jumped and then relaxed. The area was filled with echo flowers. A sign stood on the wall opposite the door. Flowey whispered, "Wishing Room."

The next echo flower announced, _"Thousands of people wishing can't be wrong! The king will prove that! …right?"_

Frisk jumped as their soul warmed the area before their chest. A little bucket-shaped creature hobbled forth. One arm looked like a crank. The other held a round head, presumably belonging to the creature. A fish tank half-full of water made the top of the bucket. A little bird sat in the water, chirping quietly to itself.

" _Woshua- Attack 18, Defense 5. HP 72. This germaphobe wishes to cleanse the world of its filth."_

"Cleanse your _soul!"_ Woshua hissed and waved its free hand. A bar of soap zipped about the place. Frisk yelped as one of the glittering sparkles left behind crack in their soul.

"U-um… do you wish to clean me?" Frisk offered.

Woshua bounced about in excitement. "Green means clean!"

This time, a round of giant, white water droplets rushed away from Woshua. Upon hitting the wall, a bit of dirt was washed away. Green drops of water meandered slowly away from Woshua. Upon touching it, a fracture in their soul was erased. The muck that had collected on them was gone.

Woshua, proud of its good work, chattered to its little bird friend.

"Bye!" Frisk waved their hand. Woshua gave them a curt nod and shuffled away.

Plenty of the other echo flowers were strangely silence. Frisk hesitated and then knelt down beside one of the echo flowers. "Don't worry. Everyone will be free soon."

" _Don't worry. Everyone will be free soon."_

Frisk then began to have fun with them. "Howdy!"

" _Howdy!"_

"This is your Captain speaking…"

" _This is your Captain speaking…"_

Frisk snickered and said, "Flowey, you say one."

" _Flowey, you say one."_

Flowey looked at Frisk. "I'm not going to stoop to your level."

" _I'm not going to stoop to your level."_

Frisk giggled. The flower giggled back. This caused the young human to laugh. The blue flower mimicked them perfectly. Flowey groaned and tipped his head back in exasperation.

Frisk cleared their throat and said to one, "My name is Flora."

" _My name is Flora."_

Frisk, hiding a giggle, leaned the echo flower close to another and activated it.

" _My name is Flora."_

" _My name is Flora."_

Frisk let go of the flowers. "I did it!" Frisk giggled. "Knock, knock."

" _Knock, knock."_

Frisk moved onto the next tone. "Who's there?"

" _Who's there?"_

"Dishes."

" _Dishes."_

"Dishes who?"

" _Dishes who?"_

"Dishes a bad joke!"

" _Dishes a bad joke!"_

Frisk put their hand to their mouth to keep from laughing loud enough for the echo flowers to hear. Finally, Flowey managed to make Frisk stand up and continue. Frisk nearly bumped into a telescope as they walked through the small room. "Oh! A telescope! Down here? What's in it?"

Flowey leaned down so that he could look through the telescope. "Ah… there are just a bunch of crystals- wait. Someone wrote on this! …check wall? What does that mean?"

"Maybe there's something hidden in the walls!" Frisk answered and began feeling about the walls. A few vines from Flowey erupted from the damp soil in the boot and felt around the walls as well. There was a branching hallway that led to a dead end. However, when Frisk pressed their hands to the dead end, it shuttered and collapsed. A hole wide enough and tall enough for them was bared.


	17. Waterfall- Song

Chapter Two

 _Song_

Frisk and Flowey entered a dock. Or, rather, a large wooden platform over the water with a small dock to one side. Signs with old hieroglyphs decorated the wall on the other side.

Flowey squinted as he looked over them. "I can just barely make them out… 'The War of Humans and Monsters.'" Frisk walked to the next one. "'Why did the humans attack? Indeed, they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the soul of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human soul.' … 'But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their soul. Its power allows it to persist outside of the human body, even after death.' … 'If a monster defeats a human, they can take its soul. A monster with a human soul… a terrible being with unimaginable power.'" The last sign was just a drawing of a horrible creature.

"That is very unsettling," Frisk murmured.

Flowey nodded slowly. "Yes. Let's keep moving… there's a little boat thing here we can use, I think."

Frisk looked over to the end of the dock. A piece of wood was docked there. Carefully, Frisk put a foot on it and slowly sank their weight into it. The wood shuttered, but otherwise didn't move. Once both of Frisk's feet were on it, they sat down, put Flowey on the wood before them, and rowed the little thing across. The water, very cold to their hands and fingers, was quite still and allowed them passage easily.

As they rowed, voices began to hiss around them. _"We'll never be free…" "They'll kill us all…" "Angel? Angel of Death more like…" "We're doomed." "Just DROWN already!" "The water is so cold…" "Hide here just for a bit…" "don't hurt him!" "I'll come back. I promise. Quiet." "Someone take care of him…" "i'm sorry…" "Regret…" "I'll find you." "kill me…" "I love you."_ Frisk whimpered and looked about. They couldn't see anything but blue specks of light in the dark. As they progressed, they found the voices began to mingle and garble and change until they were unrecognizable. _"Wey'll keler bus ale..." "Thus'll kROWs allady!" "Angyl'll kAll usl all Death more like..." "Wm'lle ryvomedfree..." "Anst DROWN ofreaaty! more like..." "Whe wador isedo cold..." "kiide hate jisst foc aldit..." "donrehuot hiem!" "I'liseoheROasN oreroyiise. Quiet." "Somewane tske carld of him..." "kim serry..." "Ridcrete bjuk. fopramtse. Quiet" "I'll fi'tmurtuam! I promise. Quiet." "Rll sery..." "I'lovndyou."_

Frisk put their hands on over their ears to attempt to block out the cries and mutters and garbled messages that assaulted them. Flowey searched about and began to grab onto various rocks, broken planks, sunken boats, and other objects in the water to keep them moving. By the time they hit the dock on the other side, the echo flowers were distant and their words were quiet mumbles.

"Frisk?" Flowey's vine wrapped about their wrist.

Frisk opened their watery eyes. "H-huh? Flowey?"

"We're out, now," Flowey replied in a quiet voice. "We're out. The marsh has patches like these all over the place. Hopefully we can avoid most of them. But they're nothing, Frisk. They're nothing but old voices."

"They sounded so sad and distressed and angry…" Frisk complained.

Flowey nodded. "I know. But those could have come from anyone at any time. Heck, most of the people whose voices are there could be long dead. The marsh takes a voice and never lets go. The only ones that can be overridden are ones you are right next to and that are relatively alone- like the ones you were playing with earlier. They probably activated when the water started shifting. Now, let's get a move on, okay? Let's put as much distance between us and the screaming bogs as possible."

Frisk crawled onto the dock, picked up Flowey, and walked a few steps forward. The walkway was thinner here and winding near the end. To the left, just past a gap of water, was a hallway full of large, thick pillars.

"I have a really bad feeling about this," Flowey whispered.

Frisk nodded and tightened their hug on Flowey's boot. "I… I hope there's nothing here." They hadn't made it three steps before a giant, icy blue spear struck into the wood before them. They jumped back with a shout. The armored monster that Papyrus had spoken with stepped out of the shadows of the pillars. Flowey yelped, "Run! _Run!_ "

Frisk jumped and raced forward. Three large spears were summoned into existence and flew at them. Frisk skittered out of the way. The three spears struck the wall on the other side of them. The head of the spears sank completely into the earth. Once they stopped moving, they evaporated. Once they evaporated, three more took their place and launched themselves at Frisk and Flowey.

The dock curved in many places to avoid large patches of greenery in the water. While attempting to run with one of the curves, a spear struck through their soul. Frisk yelped and set a hand on their chest. Their soul cracked and shuttered.

Shaky and mind blank from fear, Frisk raced as fast as they could down the dock. Finally, they made it to a giant path of extremely tall grass. Once there, they collapsed. Flowey hissed in surprise as Frisk let him go. He tumbled a few feet before bouncing to a stop on his side. They could hear another set of breathing in the grass. A yellow tail disturbed the grass near them.

Heavy boots clunked against the earth. Captain Undyne's large body separated the sea of grass. The footsteps stopped by Frisk. They hardly dared to breath. Her hand flashed down. A squeak came in response. Captain Undyne lifted Monster Kid up out of the grass enough to where his grinning mouth easily went past the grass. After a moment of contemplation, Captain Undyne lowered him to the ground and stalked away.

Frisk shakily got to their hands and knees and felt the ground for Flowey. His vines wrapped around one of their wrists and guided their hand to him. Frisk picked him up, got their feet, and stumbled out of the grasses. Monster kid raced out of the grass behind them. "Did you see that? Captain Undyne just… touched me! Man are you unlucky. If you were standing just a little bit to the left… ah don't worry. I'm sure we'll see her again." With that, he darted off. A few feet away, he tripped over his own feet and landed face-first into the ground. With some difficulty, Monster Kid got back up and continued his run.

Frisk smiled weakly and walked unsteadily forward. A table holding a crystal-encased piece of cheese was to one side of the room. A yellow sparkle was to the other.

" _Knowing that the mouse might one day extract the cheese from the crystal, it fills you with determination."_

They took a deep breath and smile. The pain was completely gone. "I wonder if the mouse ever _will_ get the cheese."

"I don't know. We should probably focus on what's ahead." Flowey looked forward. Frisk nodded and continued.

The small room they appeared in was a bit empty, though a telescope was up against the wall.

The next place they went to was just a jumble of islands connected by bridges. Glimmering blue grass puffed up on the ground in multiple places. The small islands created a maze of places where Frisk could go. It also created a maze of places for other monsters to go. Echo flowers whispered through the grasses and water. The flowers were alone and quiet.

 _Brrriiing! Brrriiing! Br-_ Frisk picked up their phone. "Hello? This is Frisk."

"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS! REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT CLOTHES? WELL, THE FRIEND I WAS ASKING FOR… WANTS TO KILL YOU. BUT, SINCE I KNEW THAT YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY, I KNEW THAT AFTER SUCH A SUSPICIOUS QUESTION, YOU WOULD OBVIOUSLY CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES. THUS, I TOLD HER THAT YOU WERE INDEED WEARING THAT RIBBON. THIS WAY YOU ARE SAFE, AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO LIE! NO BETRAYAL ANYWHERE!" _Click._

Flowey raised an eyebrow at them. Frisk, face now red, put away the cell phone. "I… did not think of that. But, um, let's keep going."

Flowey nodded. "Alright. Just don't answer any more suspicious questions." Frisk didn't answer. They just kept walking.

Eventually, they got to a point where they found another sign. Frisk stopped to allow Flowey to read it. "'The power to take their souls. This is the power that the humans feared.'"

Frisk stepped to the side and continued through the trail. "I would understand why people would be afraid of that."

They entered a small room, interrupted in the center by a pool. Somewhere in the far end of the pool, they could find Aaron. His serpentine tail ending in a fish's tail wrapped around himself. He flexed at himself in the water.

Frisk's soul popped up in front of them. Sitting on the water's edge close to them, hiding beneath a curtain of hair atop a round-spiked rock, was Shyren.

" _Shyren- Attack 19, Defense 0. HP 66. Too shy to sing her deadly song."_

Shyren whispered, "…toot…" A white music note twirled slowly away from her. Frisk side-stepped away. Shyren began to hum quietly under her breath.

Frisk smiled. "Can I see your smile, please?" In the corner, Aaron lowered his arms and nodded in encouragement. Shyren retreated and got quieter. No real attack came this time.

Frisk began to hum a sad song. Shyren popped her head out from beneath her hair. Eyes bright in encouragement, Shyren raised her voice to a gentle, sad hum. Although her attack was more rigorous, Frisk hardly had to move at all to dodge them. Frisk continued humming their song. Shyren continued to follow along. Monsters began creeping into the room, eyes bright and attention on them. Suddenly, it was a concert.

Shyren took her time to hum louder. Frisk continued their song. Sans was handing out tickets made of toilet paper. Surprisingly, no one crossed him. Though, Sans would occasionally shoot dark looks at the young human and flower.

Frisk looked about. The praise and cheering around them gave them the confidence to keep going. Shyren, surprisingly, followed suit with a passion. Her attacks were getting increasingly harder to dodge. It was still fun to sing along.

The monsters around began throwing clothing. It's a storm of socks. Frisk giggled. Flowey ducked his head to avoid being hit by a sock. Unfortunately, one landed on his head so he had to shake that off.

As they sang, Frisk began to see a shift in Shyren's mood. She began to become thoughtful. Frisk looked about at the excited monsters. Although they looked threatening, their smiles and bright eyes betrayed their common love of music. Frisk turned back to Shyren. She was going to have the _best_ career. However, Frisk wasn't going to be part of it. Both knew that it was their time. It was time to depart. They sang one final song, which made Shyren's attacks infinitely harder to dodge.

Frisk bowed. Coin had clattered to the ground. They picked up a portion of the g and scampered off. The monsters, knowing the concert was over, went back home. Many joked and shoved each other playfully. Although some growled at each other, the lighthearted mood of the concert relaxed their hate, if for but a moment.

The two ended up finding another text on the wall. Flowey leaned forward to read it. "'The northern room hides a great treasure.' A great treasure, eh? Let's go up and see." Frisk walked up through the short tunnel that lead to the room specified by the sign. It was a small room with a piano to the left, a short indention to the north, and a sign to the right. Flowey piped up, "'A haunting song echoes down the corridor… Won't you play along?' What song?"

Frisk shrugged. "I don't hear any music. Maybe there's something down the hall…?"

"Maybe. Let's go." Flowey looked ahead, back to the pool with Shyren and Aaron. Frisk passed them both.

Frisk and Flowey found more texts on the walls. Flowey ran his gaze over the hieroglyphs. "'This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's soul. When a monster dies, its soul disappears. An incredible power would be needed to take the soul of a living monster.' … 'There is only one exception. The soul of a special species of monster called a 'boss monster'. A boss monster's soul is strong enough to persist after death… if only for a few moments. A human could absorb this soul. But this has never happened. And now it never will.'" Someone had outlined the last sentence and underlined it in red. Frisk shook their head and continued their trail.

Within a small, dark room, a statue stood. A little ray of light beamed down upon the thing. Water dripped and fell as well. Water ran like sweat off the statue and tears from its stone eyes. The thing was bent over, horns bared and hands covering something between its crossed legs as if it was protecting it. A dry spot could be seen just under its hands. A short way away, a rack full of umbrellas stood.

Frisk walked over to the umbrellas stand, pulled out a tan umbrella, and approached the stone statue. The drops of water were soon blocked under the shade of the umbrella. As if by magic, the lonely statue didn't look so sad. A tune began to play from a music box under its hands.

"What did that do?" Flowey questioned.

Frisk shrugged. "I don't know. It's playing some nice music, though. Wait… maybe this is the song the piano room referenced."

"It does sound like it was played on the piano," Flowey agreed. "So… we just memorize the tune. I'm, uh, not good with songs."

"I am!" Frisk purred. "I love songs! Stay quiet for a bit." Frisk shut their eyes. The feeling of peace and melancholy from the song drifted through them. _do de do do do-de-do do, do de do do do-de-do do…_

As they sang, they found a second voice alongside their own. Frisk didn't need to ask or search to know who sang to them. Instead, they set their hands behind their back and continued to sing. Chara, now visible to Frisk, sang alongside them. Both hummed to the tune of the soft music box before them. Eventually, Frisk opened their eyes and pulled themselves away from the song. Chara stopped singing. Their bright red eyes didn't leave the statue. "I think I got it. Come on." Frisk hesitated before leaving. The sweet song flowed through the tunnels. It was so calming and peaceful. They could stay there forever if they could…

Frisk back-tracked to the piano room. They sat down at the piano and set their fingers on the keys. They tapped the keys to tune of their hum. _do de do do do-de-do do, do de do do do-de-do do…_

 _Thunk!_ Frisk stopped humming and lifted their hands. A section of the wall to the north fell away. Flowey perked up. "Oh! You did it! Let's see what terrific treasure has been revealed." Frisk got up and swept into the room. It was a plain, square room. The only object there was an alter holding a scarlet orb. The sign above it was long since faded. "Wow this is difficult to read. Um… it's a legendary artifact. Take it?"

Frisk nodded. Though they attempted to pick it up, they found that they couldn't put it in their bag. Somehow, their bag was full. Frisk set down the orb and looked through their bag. A little white dog was curled up within it. Frisk gently picked the little thing up. "Oh. Hello, there! What are you doing in my bag?" The dog opened its dark brown eyes and yawned. Upon seeing Frisk, it's tail began to wag. It barked. Frisk set the little thing down with a pat. "There you go little guy. I don't know how you got in my bag, but you shouldn't be there." The dog barked again.

"Let's just get that artifact," Flowey persisted.

Frisk stood up straight and reached for it. The dog leaped upon the alter. It jumped onto the artifact and sank its entire weight into the ball. The dog phased through it and landed on the now empty stone alter. With a happy bark, it jumped down and raced out of the room. In its wake, a husk roughly shaped like a dog lay upon the alter. Chara stood beside them and tipped their head. " _Dog Residue- Dog-shaped husk shed from a dog's carapace._ "

"Dog Residue…? Um? Okay?" Frisk picked up the residue. It collapsed into a hardened ball. Although it looks liked it could flake apart, it stayed completely intact. Frisk turned and walked back down the tunnels.


	18. Waterfall- Fall

Chapter Three

 _Fall_

Farther into the tunnels, they saw that more water fell from the ceiling like rain. Large water puddles splattered about the ground. Frisk took another tan umbrella and strolled down the raining tunnel. They couldn't help but look down at their rippling reflection. "Yes, it's you," Flowey stated, craning his neck so that he was as far away from the water as possible. "Can we keep moving?"

Frisk nodded and walked around the puddle. However, it didn't take long before they splashed into a puddle. With a giggle, they began splashing about in the puddles.

"What are you _doing?"_ Frisk stopped upon hearing Monster Kid's voice. They turned to see the young monster tucked into a crevice where the water could not reach him.

"I'm playing in the puddles. Wanna join me?" Frisk prompted.

"I… why are you intentionally getting yourself wet?" he questioned.

"Because it's _fun!"_ Frisk called with a laugh. "Come on! Join me! You'll have fun. Just try and jump from puddle to puddle to see if you can."

"At least put me down first, please," Flowey requested.

Frisk nodded and set Flowey down relatively out of the way with the umbrella over him. "See? Now I don't have an umbrella, either!"

Monster Kid looked both ways down the tunnel before creeping out. He winced as water splattered off his spikes and ran down his scales and striped sweater. He jumped into the same large puddle that Frisk was in. Water splattered onto Frisk's legs. The playful young human bounded from puddle to puddle. Monster Kid followed suit. Soon enough, the distrustful monster was chasing Frisk around. His large feet were able to splash more water than Frisk's dainty feet. Although he nearly tripped over himself multiple times, Frisk helped him keep his balance. Frisk nearly tripped over a rock at one point, though they found Monster Kid's tail helped keep their balance.

Eventually, the two soaked children found themselves too tired to keep going. So, they sat down in the dry crevice that Monster Kid had been sitting in previously.

Frisk took out the bicycle in their bag, snapped it in half, and offered the second piece to Monster Kid. "Want a snack?"

"Um, sure. Thanks." He took the unicycle in his mouth and held the stick between his knees to eat it more easily.

Monster Kid looked about and then back at Frisk. "So, where'd you learn that you liked water so much?"

"Well, back home, it used to rain a lot," Frisk answered. "So, when it rained, my sisters and I would go splashing in the puddles. It was super fun. Don't you guys do that?"

Monster Kid shook his head. "I live in Snowdin. Plus, my parents say that I have to be really careful that another monster might come and attack me. So, I study for school and practice fighting most of the time. We don't have too many opportunities to splash around in puddles."

"Why are you here then?" Frisk inquired.

"I… ran away," Monster Kid admitted. "I got tired of all this… fighting and studying. I heard about how Captain Undyne is such an amazing fighter. So, I thought I could follow her around and learn how to fight from _her_ rather than my _parents._ In training, my sister _always_ falls behind so it's so frustrating trying to learn. She's not a good fighter. My parents think she's going to die as soon as she leaves the house. They never told us that, but we overheard them talking about it."

"Oh dear! That's _terrible!_ " Frisk gasped. "Well, hopefully, your sister is alright. Hopefully, you and your people don't have to keep fighting."

"…I went to that concert," Monster Kid admitted. "Plenty of people did. I didn't think I'd see a time where so many people were… _happy._ When people weren't fighting. My mom said monsters are meant to fight. That's why we don't get along too well. Even my parents have… arguments a lot. So, how did you get that many monsters happy?" He turned his bright gaze on Frisk again.

Frisk smiled. "Music makes all sorts of people happy, of course! Shyren is super talented. She'll make a lot of people smile."

"Shyren doesn't sing, though," Monster Kid pointed out. "She's too shy to."

"Maybe she just needed some encouragement. After all, she was doing most of the singing," Frisk pointed out. "You can feel really scared to do something. But sometimes, all you need is a little push. What do you want to do when you grow up?"

Monster Kid looked at them in surprise. "What?"

"Like, profession," Frisk explained. "I want to be a dancer. What do you want to be?"

"…part of the Royal Guard," Monster Kid admitted. "You know, no one's really asked me that before. I'd like to fight alongside Captain Undyne and kick butt!"

Frisk laughed. "Well that sounds fun! Oh! Maybe we can catch her hunting down some bad guys and see her in action. Want to go find her?"

Monster Kid nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Frisk jumped up and grabbed Flowey and the umbrella. She held out for Monster Kid to stand under as well. They took both sticks that Monster Kid and Frisk had used. Monster Kid strolled alongside them, bright eyes flicking about the walls.

"You know, one time, the king came to our school," Monster Kid informed them. "He insisted we called him 'Mr. Dreemurr'. He came to teach us about the barrier."

"Really? The king came to your school?" Frisk gasped.

Monster Kid nodded. "Yeah! Doesn't your king visit your school?"

Frisk shook their head. "No. So, what happened?"

"Well, he taught everyone about the barrier," Monster Kid explained. "That we need seven human souls to break it. Then, once all the souls are taken, we'll get to go out to the surface! We need to study really hard so that we'll be smart enough to go there, too. Stupid people can't go to the surface. Stupid or weak monsters will get killed. So, we have to be smart. Anyway, that got me thinking about Captain Undyne. What if she got to visit the school? We'd learn so much more about fighting than our gym teacher could ever teach us!" Monster Kid puffed out his chest.

Eventually, they emerged from the raining tunnel. They walked alongside a massive cliff. Crystals glimmered in the ceiling. Far away, a lighter blur in the distance showed off the castle. Monster Kid and Frisk stopped to look at the view. "So, that's the castle?"

Monster Kid nodded. "Yeah. The King rarely ever leaves it. Visiting the school was the first time he's left in _years._ He hasn't been outside since. The castle is pretty big and full of people. The city has the most monsters in the entire Underground." Monster Kid turned and beckoned them to move.

Frisk stayed by his side. "This place is really big."

Monster Kid nodded. "Yeah. But it's pretty small once you get used to it. There are so many monsters here, you know."

Frisk nodded. "It's kind of sad that there's so many people here but it ends up in violence. Hopefully, that will change soon enough."

They entered another raining tunnel.

"You are too positive," Monster Kid pointed out. "That'll get you killed."

Frisk shrugged. "If you're not optimistic in a rough place, what can you be? Mad? Scared? I don't like being mad or scared."

They walked in silence for a few more feet. They passed an umbrella stand. A cliff just a little too tall for Frisk and Monster kid to climb over stopped them. Monster Kid looked up. "This cliff is too steep… hmm… Say, you want to meet Captain Undyne, right?"

Frisk nodded. "I'd like to see her."

"Cool. Go put that umbrella away and climb on my shoulders."

"What about you?" Frisk inquired as they put the umbrella away.

"I'll be okay. I can find another way around. I always do," Monster Kid reassured them and knelt by the cliff. Frisk reached up and set Flowey down on the ledge. They carefully climbed onto Monster Kid's shoulders and crawled onto the ledge. "See you later!" Monster Kid called.

"Good luck! See ya!" Frisk called back and waved. Monster Kid ran away.

"So… what was that about?" Flowey inquired.

Frisk held Flowey close to their chest as they walked. "What was what?"

"Playing in the water and talking to that kid. We have a long way to go."

Frisk shrugged. "He looked like he needed to have a nice time. He was pretty down. And I was right! Plus: it was really fun. You know what they say: it's not about the destination, it's about the journey! It's nice to stop and smell the flowers every once in a while." They chuckled at their small joke and went on, "Did you ever play like that as a kid?"

Flowey looked ahead and nodded. His tattered petals hid his face. "Yeah. I had another sibling. We'd go everywhere together and play. We had snowball fights, splashed in puddles, played hide-and-seek and tag… it was really fun. Oh, look. Some more signs." Flowey perked up and looked at the signs. A glittering yellow light was between the two signs on the walls. Frisk's fingers phased through the light.

" _Splashing in the puddles with a new friend fills you with determination."_

Flowey craned his neck so that he could read. "'The humans, fearing our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy.' … 'In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single soul was taken, and countless monsters turned to dust…'"

Frisk's feet fell on a wooden floor. Below them were many paths of wooden walkways on different levels. "Aw. Well, most humans have forgotten monsters exist and very few think they're real. So maybe, there won't be another war. If we're nice and monsters get along, then they definitely won't have a reason to attack!"

Flowey couldn't answer. As, although he tried, he cut himself off. A glowing blue circle ahead of them froze Frisk in their place. Another one popped up behind them. Another was to the side. Suddenly, a dozen circles surrounded them. Giant spears shot up as high as Frisk was tall before vanishing. Captain Undyne appeared below them.

Frisk and Flowey yelled in fright and raced away. The pathways were so confusing that they ran into many dead ends. When they did, spears raced up to meet them. Frisk's drenched shoes splattered the ground and slowed them down. Flowey attempted to whack away some of the blue dots before harm could come of them. However, his vines phased through the glowing blue circles rather than banish them. He didn't touch them while a spear sprouted from them.

Eventually, Frisk was able to stagger out of sight of the lower pathway in which Captain Undyne was on. Unfortunately, they appeared at a dead end. Frisk whimpered, turned, and attempted to run back. The giant, haunting shape of Captain Undyne froze them in their tracks. Frisk and Flowey could only watch in open-mouthed, wide-eyed horror as Captain Undyne stalked forward. A straight line of spears appeared above them. They came down at the speed of bullets shot from a gun. The wood between Captain Undyne and Frisk was splintered into smithereens. Frisk and Flowey shrieked as they dropped from wooden trail. Captain Undyne watched them fall before turning and stalking off.

" _It sounds like it came from over here… Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you… Are you okay? Here… get up. … Chara, huh? That's a nice name._ _My name i s . . ."_

Frisk opened their blurry eyes and got up. They put a hand to their head with a groan. Beneath them, they could feel the soft petals and stems of golden flowers. Frisk coughed and looked about. "Flowey?" There was no response. "Flowey? Flowey! Where are you? Can you hear me?!" They looked about and jumped up.

"H-here!" Flowey wheezed and sputtered. Frisk looked down. Flowey's head just barely appeared over the lip of the water. His vines wrapped tightly around some waterlogged shards of the wooden planks they had once stood upon. However, each time a vine attempted to pull Flowey up, the wood snapped and only pulled him further into the water.

Frisk immediately dropped to the flowery ground and picked up Flowey. He let go of the planks in an instant. However, when Frisk pulled them out, the boot vanished into the water. Flowey's roots became exposed. His vines vanished. "Oh dear!"

"It's alright," Flowey denied. "Leave it. That old boot was soggy anyway."

"If you want. But, how will you move? You can't swim," Frisk pointed out.

"Um… hmm… how about this?" Flowey stretched out his roots. Vines popped out of his stem. They wrapped around Frisk's upper arm. "Now you don't have to carry me!"

"Oh, that's so cool!" Frisk gasped. "Too bad we didn't think of this earlier."

"Yep. But, uh, it isn't that comfortable," Flowey stated and looked about.

Frisk nodded. "You're a bit vulnerable there, if we find a monster. Maybe something like a bag or backpack or something? You can stay hidden if you need to, but help if you can, as well!"

"Hmm… well, whatever it is, this is the best place to find it," Flowey stated. "We're in the dump."

"The dump?" Frisk echoed and began to hop from fractured plank piece to plank piece.

Flowey nodded. "Yeah. Trash from the surface falls down through the waterfall here. Monsters pick over it and that's how we got a lot of technology."

Frisk nodded and looked about. A golden glimmer sparkled from between two trash heaps under a waterfall. The current tugged at their legs as Frisk, up to their waist in water, waded over to the golden sparkle.

" _Viewing this endless cycle of useless garbage, it fills you with determination."_

Frisk looked about and hopped off the piece of wooden platform. They ended up in the river. Frisk gasped and stumbled as the current threw off their balance and tugged them away. However, they straightened themselves out before Flowey could intervene. Frisk looked about. The dump, which was a collection of blue and muted shades of garbage, lay behind them. Before them was a waterfall that fell into the black. Frisk tipped their head. The sound of rushing water faded as it fell down. "What's this?"

"A waterfall," Flowey explained. "It falls into a bottomless pit. Literally no one knows where it goes. Whatever falls down here _never_ returns."

"Really?" Frisk looked over the bottomless pit. They were reminded of the pit that they'd encountered. It was so deep they couldn't see the bottom. Anything that fell down there couldn't survive. It would never be seen again…

"Frisk?" Frisk was jolted out of their thoughts by Flowey. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah. Sorry. Just lost in thought."

"Well, okay. We need to go find something in the dump for me to travel in."

"Okay. Then, maybe we could find something useful here." They couldn't see anything. However, they pulled out things from the garbage heaps at Flowey's command. They had to go about multiple garbage heap piles, often climbing on top of them, before finding what they wanted. A small blue backpack with one zipper to open it and a pouch on the side to hold a water bottle was pulled from the trash. It was relatively intact so it could hold some dirt. "Now all we have to do is find some dirt."

" _Dry_ dirt, please," Flower requested.

Frisk nodded as they threw the backpack over one shoulder. "Of course. I hope we find it soon!"

Flowey nodded. "Yeah. Let's hope so. Let's get out of here as soon as possible. I'm beginning to lose feeling in my roots."

"Got it!" Frisk jumped off the trash heap with a large splash. Flowey pulled himself out of the way of the splash. Frisk was soaked up to the chest, now.

Eventually, they found a mobile cooler with two packets of astronaut food in them. The only reason it didn't float away was due to the fact that its old handle was stuck under some heavy garbage. Frisk collected both packets and continued to wade through the tunnel. At the end, they could see an incline out of the water and to a new place. A dummy stood next to the last pile of garbage. It looked quite similar to the one in the Ruins. Frisk stopped and looked at it for a few moments. Their heart grew heavy as they remembered Toriel and their short battle lesson. They turned and continued on. A hearty _splash_ alerted them to something behind them. Frisk jumped and looked back. Flowey narrowed his eyes. "It's gone."

Water ahead of them splashed. The dummy launched itself from the water between them and the incline. It hovered about a foot or two above the water. "Hahaha… too intimidated to fight me, huh? I am the ghost that lives inside of a dummy! My cousin used to live inside a dummy too. Until… YOU CAME ALONG! When you approached them, they thought they were in for a nice conversation. But then the things you did-! It scared them right out of their dummy! HUMAN! I will scare your soul out of your body!"

Frisk's soul appeared before them. Mad Dummy blocks the way!

" _Mad Dummy- Attack 30, Defense YES. HP ? Because they're a ghost, physical attacks will fail."_

"Foolish. Foolish! FOOLISH!" Mad Dummy cried. Little dummies were summoned around them. They threw white, glittering scribbles at them. Flowey gasped and helped them wade from side to side. Unfortunately, the water slowed their movements. They had to duck and jump many times. Water dripped from their hair and streamed down their face. Mad Dummy hissed in pain as the brunt of the magic attacks hit him. He shuttered and growled. "OWWWW, you dummies! Watch where your aiming your _magic_ attacks!" Mad Dummy's eyes flew open. "F-forget I said anything about magic!"

Mad Dummy looks nervous.

Frisk took a step back and held up their hands. "I'm not fighting you." Mad Dummy cackled and summoned more dummies. Frisk's soul began to crack in multiple places as the magic attacks began to hit them. Mad Dummy barked in hate as his own magic attacks hit him.

"I'll take your soul and cross the barrier myself!" Mad Dummy cackled and summoned more dummies. Frisk's soul began to crack further as more attacks hit them. More attacks hit the dummy as well.

Mad Dummy barked, "I'll get to sit in the window of a fancy store!" This time he began to move. That didn't stop Frisk from tricking its dummies into hitting him. "THEN ALL I WANT WILL BE MINE!" Frisk dodged a few more attacks. Unfortunately, they didn't hit the dummy. "Yeah, I guess that'll avenge my cousin," the ghost muttered, mainly to himself. Dummies began to launch themselves at them. They splashed into the water at quite a high speed. Cracks formed in Frisk's soul as they attempted to dodge and trick the magic attacks.

Mad Dummy shuttered as they were hit again. "What was their name again…?" Most of the next attack was the dummies that launched themselves at Frisk. "Whatever. Whatever! WHATEVER!" Mad Dummy barked. Frisk gasped and ducked as more attacks sped at them. Mad Dummy growled in anger as more magic attacks hit them. "Futile. Futile! FUTILE!" Mad Dummy screamed. Unfortunately for him, the dummies missed Frisk completely and hit him again with quite a bit of force. "Hey guys!" The dummies appeared. "Dummies. Dummies! DUMMIES! Remember how I said not to shoot at me? Well… FAILURES! YOU'RE ALL FIRED! YOU'RE BEING REPLACED!" The miniature dummies slowly retreated from the battle area. "Hahaha. Hahaha! HAHAHA! Now you'll see my _true_ power: relying on people who aren't garbage!" Mechanical whirrs began to fill the room. "Dummy bots! Magic Missile!"

Mechanical dummies popped out of the ground. Missiles were launched. When Frisk dodged, they followed them. They squeaked and skipped about. Eventually, the missiles ran out of fuel and crashed into Mad Dummy. "Dummy bots! Try again!" he barked. The mechanical bots appeared and shot at them. The missiles missed completely and hit Mad Dummy. He shuttered and asked in surprise, "Dummy bots? You're awful?" The dummy bots missed again. "Grr-! Dummy bots! Final attack!"

The older dummy-bombs appeared and launched themselves at Frisk. They missed. Dummy bots appeared all around them. Frisk yelped and attempted to run into a circle. Although most flew off to hit Mad Dummy, quite a few hit Frisk. They staggered to a stop as the last of the missiles left. Oh, they didn't feel too good…

"N… no way," Mad Dummy hissed to himself. "These guys are even _worse_ than the other guys!" Mad Dummy snarled and raised his voice in a bark, "Who cares. Who cares! WHO CARES! I DON'T NEED FRIENDS! I'VE GOT KNIVES!" A knife appeared beside him and launched itself at Frisk. They side-stepped the attack. Mad Dummy hesitated. "I'm… Out of knives." He hissed and raised his voice, "But that doesn't matter! YOU CAN'T HURT ME AND I CAN'T HURT YOU! YOU'LL BE STUCK FIGHTING ME… Forever. Forever! FOREVER!" Mad Dummy cackled and began to laugh maniacally. Eventually, raindrops began to fall from above. The dummy shuttered and shook himself as the drops hit him. "Wh… what the hell is this?! Ergh! Acid rain?! Oh forget it. I'm outta here!" Mad Dummy slipped away.


	19. Waterfall- Ghost

Chapter Four

 _Ghost_

Napstablook phased through the roof and came into existence before Frisk, who held Flowey, in the waist-deep water. "heh… he ran pretty quickly, didn't he? as soon as i came over, he immediately left. he looked like he was having fun. huh. i wanted to say hi."

Frisk's cracked soul phased back into their body.

Napstablook went on, "well… i'm going to head home now. feel free to follow me if you want. you don't have to." He hovered up the incline.

Frisk hurried to follow him onto dry land. The next room was large with three tunnels to the top, one to the left, and one to the right. A large pool was in the center of the room. A glimmer appeared just before them. Napstablook hovered before the middle tunnel near the top of the room. "My house's up here if you feel like coming." He turned and phased through the door of the house farther into the room. Frisk touched the glimmer with their fingers.

" _The calm tranquility of the area fills you with determination."_

"Do you think we should visit?" Frisk questioned as they knelt beside the pool.

Flowey slipped into the ground. "I don't know… I don't see any reason to do so."

Frisk began digging up dirt with their hands and pouring it into the backpack. "It might be nice to talk to him."

"You like to talk to everybody," Flowey pointed out.

The young human chuckled. "Yeah, I kind of do." They rinsed off their hands in the small pool and gently put on the backpack. They zipped up either side so that the dirt wouldn't spill out the sides.

Flowey's vines picked him up into the backpack, where he planted himself. "Not bad."

Frisk smiled, got to their feet, and wandered around the pool. They about went to Napstablook's house when they caught side of another house at the top left. Frisk, interested, walked into this small area. A house the shape of a giant fish head dominated the space. The two windows and door even looked like narrowed eyes and sharp teeth. Little fins popped up the sides. Fins cropped up from the top all the way to bottom. A tail slipped out from behind the house. Mad dummy was in a short training area in the front. "I wonder who lives here."

Flowey narrowed his eyes. "I don't know and I don't have a feeling that I want to. Let's go before the owner catches us."

Frisk nodded, turned, and strolled out of the small area. Napstablook's house, which was immediately next door, was interesting. It was in the shape of Napstablook, being a slightly curved, rounded cylinder. A little roof was on the top and a window somewhere on it. A second house right next to it was bent in the opposite direction. Napstablook's was blue and the one next door was pink.

Frisk rolled up their pant sleeves, set their shoes outside, and then looked about the house as they entered. It was small with a fridge to one corner, a TV next to it, and a computer next to that on the corner. Three CDs lay on the floor in the southern end of the room. Upon entering, they disturbed Napstablook, who was at his computer. "oh. decided to come, eh? i wasn't expecting that. meh. make yourself at home. just… try not to touch anything." He turned around and continued to scroll through whatever was on the computer. He stole glances at the young human and the flower on occasion.

Frisk approached the TV. All knobs but one were dusty and unused. The relatively used one was labeled "POWER ON/OFF". Napstablook looked at the TV. "that's my tv. i like to watch a show on it, occasionally."

Frisk looked over to their computer. "What are you up to?"

"huh? just on a music sharing site," Napstablook answered. "it's full of crap. someone should put something decent on there. may as well be me."

Frisk smiled. "You make music? Can I listen to some?"

"there are a few cds over there. go nuts. just, don't break them." Napstablook turned back to the computer.

Frisk knelt beside the CDs. "Ghouliday Music", "Spookwave", and "Spooktunes." Of all three of them, the scratchy, haunting tune of "Spookwave" was their favorite.

Napstablook looked back as Frisk had stood up. "spookwave, huh?"

Frisk nodded. "Mhm! You made them yourself, right?"

Napstablook nodded. "yeah. they're good. hey, uh… did you want something to eat?"

The young human perked up. "Oh! Sure. Thank you!"

Napstablook hovered over to his fridge. Frisk was close behind him. Flowey watched the ghost in suspicion. "here. this is ghost sandwich." The translucent sandwich hovered before them. Frisk attempted to grab it. They phased right through it. "oh. guess it only works with ghosts. oh well." He put it back into his fridge. "after a good meal, i like to lay down and contemplate on what our family has done. it's a family tradition. do you want to join me?"

"Oh! Sure!" Frisk chirped. "I've never heard of a tradition like that before."

"…alright." Napstablook hovered to the middle of the floor and lay down. Frisk set down the backpack with Flowey next to Napstablook and lay down beside Flowey. "just lay down. get up whenever you want to."

Frisk stared up and ceiling without a word. Eventually, the room began to fall away. Stars of the night sky began to fizzle within their vision. Frisk stole a glance at Napstablook. The stars reflected in his eyes. Flowey's head was tipped back as well. He watched the 'sky' above with round eyes.

Frisk lost track of how long they lay there, contemplating their decisions and watching the shifting night sky above. However, Frisk had to get up. They needed to get to the king as soon as possible. The young human stiffly got to their feet. The night sky fell away. It was promptly replaced with the house. They put on their backpack again.

Napstablook looked at Frisk. "well… that was nice." He turned and floated back to his computer.

"Well, we have to go now. Bye!" Frisk waved at Napstablook. He gave them a short "'bye" in return.

"That was… strange," Flowey commented as they left.

Frisk put their shoes back on again. "Yeah. But it was fun. That reminds me. I should talk to Pap. We haven't called in a while. We could talk about that monster who's trying to kill us!"

"Are you kidding me?" Flowey prompted. "We shouldn't talk to him more than necessary."

"Well, um, this is sorta necessary," Frisk pointed out. "We were just attacked!"

Flowey sighed deeply. "Give me the phone."

"Thanks!" Frisk squeaked and pulled out the electronic device.

 _Brriii-_ "HELLO? THIS IS PAPYRUS!"

"Hello, Papyrus!" Frisk purred.

"HUMAN! YOU HAVE CALLED ON YOUR OWN!" Papyrus crowed. "GOOD JOB!"

Frisk beamed. "Really? So, you aren't bothered that I called?"

"NOT AT ALL! CALL ME WHENEVER YOU WISH. I'LL TELL YOU IF I'M BUSY. NOW, WAS THERE SOMETHING YOU WISHED TO ASK?"

Frisk hesitated and then nodded. "Huh? Oh! Right! Hehe. Well, I was just wondering about your monster friend- the one in the armor."

"CAPTAIN UNDYNE?" Papyrus prompted.

Frisk nodded. "Mhm. Well, we just ran away from her again. What does her house look like? We just saw this empty house in the shape of a fish."

"YOU'RE AT CAPTAIN UNDYNE'S HOUSE?" A slight caution edged his voice.

"Not really. I mean, we were. But we were only visiting Napstablook. Flowey kind of rushed me away. Why?" Frisk prompted.

"I WOULD STRONGLY ADVISE THAT YOU DO NOT VISIT HER AT HER HOME," Papyrus stated. "SHE IS VERY UNFRIENDLY IF SHE FAILS AT SOMETHING. IF YOU GOT AWAY FROM HER, THEN SHE WILL BE IN A VERY FOUL MOOD."

"Oh, I get it. What happens if I don't get away?"

"SHE'LL KILL YOU INSTANTANEOUSLY."

"Oh." Frisk hesitated. "That doesn't sound good. Say, do you visit her often? Are you friends?"

"FRIENDS? …WE'RE NOT AS MUCH _FRIENDS_ AS SHE IS MY _SUPERIOR_ ," Papyrus replied. "FEW PEOPLE MAKE GOOD FRIENDS HERE, HUMAN. MOST RELATIONSHIPS ARE ROMATIC OR BETWEEN RELATIVES."

"Oh. That stinks." Before Frisk could properly think over their words, they prompted, "So what about you and Sa-ans?" Their words wavered near the end. Flowey stared at them.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"U-uh! I mean! Um, I'm sorry. Hehe. I meant to say something different. Um-! I, uh–"

"SANS AND I ARE FINE," Papyrus stated. "HE'S INSUBORDINANT, WEAK, AND LOUSY AT MOST THINGS." Papyrus let out a great sigh. "SO, AS USUAL, I HAVE TO BE THE RESPONSIBLE ONE. HE GETS INTO TROUBLE EVERYWHERE HE GOES SO I HAD TO MODIFY HIS DEVICE TO NOT ONLY ALLOW ME TO TRACK IT, BUT ALLOW HIM TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME. ONE WOULD THINK THAT HE WOULD UNDERSTAND GOADING BIGGER MONSTERS LEADS TO CONFRONTATIONS THAT I AM REQUIRED TO SETTLE. BUT IT SEEMS AS IF HE DOESN'T."

"So, you know where he is?" Frisk prompted. "And you make sure that none of the other monsters get him?"

"YES. I JUST SAID THAT. TELL ME, HUMAN, DO YOU HAVE YOUNGER SIBLINGS?" Papyrus prompted.

Frisk hesitated. "Um… one… I h-ha… have an older sister and had a younger sister. But neither seemed to get into any trouble. I was always the trouble maker." Frisk chuckled. "I was the one who seemed to stumble into all sorts of things. You don't know how many things I've broken and fights I've picked purely on accident and how Cammie had to pick up after me so much."

"OH? I ASSUME THAT YOU ARE BETTER BEHAVED NOW. I NOTICED, OF COURSE, THAT YOU HAVE GOOD BEHAVIOR FOR A YOUNG HUMAN."

"Thanks!" Frisk purred. "Sorta. I mean, I was a bit of a brat at first. Most of what I did was on accident. But then I got mad because of the 'accidents' and people blaming me. You know how it is. I'm blind and my hate being treated differently. But it's okay, now. I've kind of accepted it. Flowey's helping me a lot, too. Since I don't have Cammie, I kind of need someone else." Frisk smiled at Flowey. "And Flowey's an awesome friend."

"YOU DON'T HAVE 'CAMMIE'? WHAT HAPPENED?"

Frisk's smile vanished. "Uh, what? Did I say 'I don't have her'? Silly me. I'm in the underground. So, I don't really have anyone from the surface. Hehe. It kind of works that way when you fall into a one-way trap, eh?"

"…OF COURSE."

"Thanks so much for talking, Papyrus!" Frisk purred. "You're a great friend!"

"I'M A- WELL, OF COURSE! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I CAN BE GREAT AT ANYTHING! INCLUDING BEING A COOL FRIEND. IF YOU NEED ANYTHING ELSE, YOU MAY CALL ME!"

"Thanks! I'll talk to you later!" Frisk purred. _Click._

"What was that about?" Flowey prompted.

"Nothing," Frisk replied. "I just, uh, wanted to talk to him for a bit. We're friends, right? I am a bit hungry, though. Good thing I grabbed those snacks from the cooler."

Frisk sat down against the wall and pulled out on the packets of astronaut food. It wasn't too big, so they were able to eat it as a snack. However, as soon as they ate it, the signature freeze-dried-astronaut-food-taste hit them. They dropped the bag and put a hand on their mouth.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" Flowey gasped and looked over the packet.

Frisk forced themselves to swallow the snack. "Blegh. N-not… not eating th-that again." They bit their tongue to keep themselves from throwing it back up again.

Flowey snatched the extra packet as well as the trash from the first and stuck it in one of the larger pockets in the backpack. "Well, let's rest up a bit. Don't go eating anything you find in the _garbage_."

Frisk nodded. "L-lesson learned." Eventually, after some deep breaths and not moving, Frisk stood up again. "That was fun. So! Uh, what's down here?" They walked down to the right side of the room, through the tunnel. To the north was a door and to the south a tunnel branching off from the main one. A little trans dimensional box sat on the right of the door. Frisk and Flowey peeked down the tunnel to the south. It just led to a river. When they entered the door to the north, they entered the shop of an elderly tortoise.

"Wa-hah-hah!" the elderly monster laughed. "Look at we have here- a little human kid, hmm? Whatcha doin' here, kid?"

"Oh! I was just curious," Frisk informed him. "What do you have here?"

The tortoise waved his old hand. "Take a look."

Flowey looked over the items and prices. "Crab apples are 25g, which heals you of course. Sea Tea–which makes you faster? –is 18g. Some clouded glasses are 30g and the torn notebook are worth 55g. Since we don't need any of them, let's go."

"Um… okay. How are you doing, Mister?" Frisk prompted. Flowey rolled his eyes.

"I'm Gerson, formerly known as the Hammer of Justice!" Gerson announced. "What's your name, little one?"

"I'm Frisk! Frisk Foster!" They puffed out their chest happily. "Um… I don't have a title. Haha. Are you a hero?"

"I was," the tortoise answered. "I fought so long ago. But these old bones aren't meant for fighting. Not anymore. Captain Undyne, though! She's the hero, now."

"She is?" Frisk tipped their head. "She must be really honored!"

Gerson nodded. "Oh yes. I remember when she was just a little urchin. She's come a long way since then. She used to follow me around when she was little and watch me beat up bad guys. She'd even try to help! Sometimes they weren't actually bad guys. But I appreciated it! Wa-hah-hah!"

"Oh wow. You were a guard? That's so cool!" Frisk gasped. "You know, you must know a lot about history, right?"

Gerson nodded. "Yeah. It's easy learning history when you've lived most of it! Wa-hah-hah!"

" _Ask him about that emblem,"_ Chara advised.

"So, you know what that emblem is?"

"Eh? You don't know what that is? What are they teaching you kids in school nowadays...? Wa-hah-hah! That's the _Delta Rune_ , the emblem of our kingdom. The Kingdom... Of Monsters. Wa-hah-hah! Great name, huh?" Gerson smirked.

Frisk nodded. "What does it mean? Do you know?"

Gerson nodded. "Oh. That emblem actually predates written history. The original meaning has been lost to time… All we know is that the triangles symbolize us monsters below, and the winged circle above symbolizes… Somethin' else. Most people say it's the 'angel,' from the prophecy..."

"The prophecy?"

"Oh yeah... The prophecy. Legend has it, an 'angel' who has seen the surface will descend from above and bring us freedom. Lately, the people have been taking a bleaker outlook… Callin' that circle the 'Angel of Death.' A harbinger of destruction, waitin' to 'free' us from this mortal realm."

Frisk frowned. "That's sad. Well, I know that's not true! Everyone will be free one day! Just have hope!"

Gerson gave them a soft smile. "I wish more people would have your heart, kid. You have spunk. I appreciate that. Wa-hah-hah."

Frisk smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Gerson. You have a great day! …actually, may I have a crab apple, please?"

"Sure thing, kid. Actually, you've been such a treat. How 'bout I knock off a few g. twenty g for the crab apple," Gerson offered.

Frisk dug through their bag and presented the coin. "Here you go!"

"Thanks! Wa-hah-hah. Be careful out there, kid!" he warned.

"I will. Thanks!" Frisk waved and trotted out of the shop. When they inspected the crab apple, they found it to look quite a bit like a crab.

"Why?" Flowey prompted.

"I like apples!" Frisk answered. "Besides, I need to get that awful taste out of my mouth. Blegh." The apple tasted like a very juice crab as well as looked like it. It was still sticky like an apple, though. "Mr. Gerson was really fun to talk to, as well. You always have to be respectful to your elders."


	20. Waterfall- Muns

Chapter Five

 _Muns_

Frisk walked back down the trail. Echo flowers cropped up along the rivers and waterfalls. For now, they were quiet. They whispered to one another in fields of bioluminescent grass and flowers and crystals.

Flowey perked up as they nearly passed the sign. "Here's another few signs. Want me to read them?"

Frisk nodded as finished off their apple. "Yes, please." They took out the trash from their astronaut food, stuff the apple core in it, and stuffed it back into their backpack.

Flowey looked over the text. "'Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful soul can leave.' … 'There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human souls, attacks the barrier… It will be destroyed.'" Flowey urged them on again. "There's a river here. Be careful. It isn't that deep, though."

Frisk nodded and slipped into the water. The rush of the waterfall's current tugged at their legs. _"Who's there?" "Something moved, I swear it." "It's so very cold…" "Someone will come." "Please don't come near!" "Help! Help me!" "No! Run away! GET AWAY!" "I'll kill you! I swear it!"_

Frisk stopped and looked about. The voices came from every which direction- even above and below them. They were so distracted in their search that they couldn't even register Flowey's vine squeezing their wrist. "Frisk?" _"The water is too quick. We can't cross." "These flowers are everywhere…" "Someone's listening…" "Do you think we're safe?" "I'm not going to make it… it's so cold…" "Behind the waterfall! Please!" "we're all going to die."_

Frisk clamped their hands over their ears and shook their head. "N-no! No! Quiet! Be quiet!" _"Solp's the'e?e!ening…" "Do! Rthininmoved, sAW?ar it." "It'elsoHery me!dto die." "Sekieyoe!wilatoaret!Please!" "NleaRu flon't somETery!AY!ere…"_ "Shut up! Shut up!" _"It'elo! Herye?e…!" "ToeRefdowryomET AWAY!ere…" "I'lsmloynu!scsweanit…!" "I'me wateringtovequick. Wit'itan'tcooss."_

The voices seemed to grow louder and louder the longer they stayed. "Stop it! Stop!" _"NehRuflowery!arfallveWAhere…" "So'rillane_ _ **'sinstenidit…!" "Be yse doinwwe'relnefe?ase!" "Thenotfloringtooreaick it… it'reso cros…" "Sohintflthe wsterd,ll! PLEASETRE…" "PE'P! HDON'NEOMDIEEAR!"**_

"SHUT UP! GET AWAY!" Frisk cried and, head down, eyes closed and hands over their ears, attempted to run in a random direction. They couldn't see anything. They couldn't hear anything beyond the screaming flowers. When they attempted to run in the direction of the river, something snapped at their ankles and chest. Frisk staggered back and bolted in the opposite direction. Immediately they were drenched as they ran straight into the waterfall. They tripped over a rock and landed heavily within the confines of a small cave. Flowey's backpack hit the wall with a heavy _thump._ Frisk scrambled to get as far away from the waterfall as possible. The voices were masked beneath the rushing water. Even then, they were starting to quiet down.

Frisk whimpered and curled up into themselves. Tears rolled down their cheeks and smudged their soaked clothes. For a while, the only noise within the waterfall-cave was their choking and gasping. Water attempted to trickle into their nose and mouth from their soaked hair. They just snorted or coughed and wiped the water away with one of their hands.

Eventually, when Frisk's sobs had toned down to tiny sniffles and whimpers, Flowey piped up in a quiet voice, "Frisk?" Frisk opened their eyes but did not raise their head. "Hey, Frisk. Hey it's alright. We're past the terrible part."

"How many?" Frisk whimpered.

"Oh, I'm sure we're past the two biggest," Flowey encouraged. "This is one of the worst ones, actually. When we get outside, make sure to keep out of the water as much as you can."

"Half of this place is water," Frisk mumbled.

"I know, I know," the flower agreed. "But plenty of it is still firm land. We can get through that. Right?"

Frisk nodded. "Y-yeah. We can. I… I don't want to be here anymore. C-can we go back to Sans' and Papyrus' house?"

Flowey shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. Besides, we'd have to go back through both flower patches to get there, wouldn't we?"

The child nodded. "Y-yeah. Yeah."

"Now, once you're feeling up to it, we can get up and leave. Once we leave this area behind, we won't have to come back. The flowers can't yell at us if we're far enough away," Flowey pointed out with a serene smile.

Frisk slowly nodded. "I… I understand." They looked up to the waterfall. "B-but I don't want to go out again. Th-they'll just be there again!"

"Not if you stay out of the water," Flowey pointed out. "It's just this river that's the worse. Around us, there are a few more along with the marshy area. But the farther away you get, the longer it takes to wake them up and more difficult it gets to hear them. On dry land, it'll take a long, long time to get them to start talking loud enough for you to hear them. It's going to be okay, Frisk. I promise."

Frisk got to their shaky feet and picked up Flowey. They skittered under the waterfall and ran out of the short river as quickly as they could. The flowers grumbled upon feeling the water disturbed but quickly became quiet again. Frisk hesitated as another sign was upon the wall. Flowey read, "'But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever.'"

When they crossed the next river, they met a very dark place. Glowing mushrooms littered the place. A short trail of glowing grass led to a dull clump of mushrooms. Frisk touched the mushrooms. They squeaked and glowed. Another thin trail of grass began to glow. They followed this one as well. Another mushroom clump popped up. By the time they got to the fourth one, they hit a dead end. However, when they turned back to retrace their steps, they took a few too many steps south. Their feet hit even ground unlit by bioluminescent grass. The thin trail led straight into door in the cave wall.

"Er… I have a bad feeling about this…" Flowey warned, eyes flitting about. They arrived within a deep red and brown walled room. Or, rather, a village. Many houses expanded the southern side. In the northern side was a door with a giant sign reading 'TEM SHOP' above it. Multiple identical monsters crowded the place. All of them looked like small white dogs with cat tails, faces, and paws. Two cat ears popped up the top of their heads while two dog ears drooped from the sides. Long, dark brown hair fell over the sides of their faces and tied back in tight buns behind their heads. Their tiny white bodies were covered by black suits and red ties. As soon as Frisk and Flowey entered the place, all deep maroon eyes were on them. Even the red and white mushroom far away was tilted as it turned to face them. No eyes could be seen, though.

The nearest temmie looked up at them with round, innocent eyes and a great kitten grin. "Hoi!" they called. "I'm Temmie!"

"Hello, Temmie!" Frisk purred.

The temmie beside the first piped up, "I'm Temmie, too! This is my friend: Temmie!" They tipped their head toward the friend beside them. Soon, all dozen of the temmies were introducing themselves. The last temmie, the one sitting idly beside a small picket sign leading to the shop, turned their head to look at them. A dazed, far-away look fell over the semi-isolated temmie's deep maroon eyes. "I'm Bob."

The first one, tail wagging back and forth with the energy of Lesser Dog, piped up, "You should visit the Tem Shop!" All at once, all of the Temmies cheered and agreed and bounced about. Bob slowly nodded his head. Somehow, the action dizzied him so his head flopped to the side and rested against the picket sign.

"The Tem Shop?" Frisk prompted. "Cool! Flowey! Can we go?"

Flowey looked about them. "I don't know. This place really creeps me out."

The first one's grin widened. Fangs hinted just below the temmie's lips. "Visit the Tem Shop!"

The second crowed, "Yes! All supplies a traveler needs! In Tem Shop!"

Flowey leaned back so that his petals brushed Frisk's chin. "I don't like this. We should probably go back up the trail."

It was too late, however. In their excitement, temmies had crowded around them. The trail leading out was blocked by a good half dozen temmies. The one who first greeted them tipped their head. A sadness fell over them. "You no… no visit Tem Shop?" The excitement from the rest of the temmies fell quicker than a stone from a cliff. "But… we invited you! To Tem Shop!"

Flowey's gaze darted about. "Fine. Let's… uh… let's just look and see what they have."

Frisk walked forward. Eventually, they passed up Bob and turned into the Tem Shop. The excited tems bounced around outside.

The shop was colorful and inviting with all shades of red and gold. All of them were no darker than the deep red of a slightly wilted rose or deep yellow of a pyrite nugget. Even those were only used as small, intricate designs to pop out of the hot pinks and sunny yellows of the wall and counter decorations.

"Hoi! Welcome to… Tem Shop!" The temmie behind the counter flashed them a grand smile. A gold monocle decorated their right eye. Otherwise, they were dressed like the other temmies. "What would you like, Traveler?"

Flowey piped up, "Tem Flakes- 10g. Premium Tem Flakes- 20g. Tem University- 1,000g. Tem Drink- 35g."

"Tem Drink good with… Tem Flakes!" Temmie chirped. "Tem also buys items!"

"Buys?" Frisk prompted. "Like… I sell something to you?"

Temmie nodded. Even more enthusiasm, if that was possible, overcame the temmie. "Yaya! Yaya! Buy traveler things!"

"I don't have anything I can sell, though," Frisk replied. "But, uh, what are Tem Flakes?"

"Tem Flakes are cereal! Good with Tem Drink! But you have thing- traveler things!" Temmie's grin now betrayed the presence of overly sharp fangs. "G!"

Frisk tipped their head. "But you can't trade g, can you? I mean, you buy stuff with it."

Flowey piped up, "We have to leave now. Frisk and I need to leave. We have a very important appointment with Captain Undyne."

The temmie behind the counter put her paws on the colorful counter. She pressed her paws down on the surface so hard, her claws unsheathed and glinted in the light. "No! Traveler stay! Travelers will stay with us a little while longer."

Two temmies crept up behind them. "The human will stay with us," the temmie that had first greeted them purred.

The second growled, "Human will stay with us. For life."

The temmie behind the counter pulled out a thermos. The upper third was made of a see-through, glass-like material. The rest was dark maroon with intricate red designs and multiple lights. A silver ring separated the glass and metal. Seven lights–cyan, blue, purple, green, orange, yellow, and red–made a ring below the silver rim. All of them were turned off. "Temmie will get muns."

"Muns from you," the first one stated in a silky voice.

The second piped up in a rougher voice, "Or muns from your soul!"

Flowey's vine whipped out and took a bag of g from Frisk's bag and set it on the counter. "Th-there! Uh, can we leave now?"

The first tem grabbed the bag of g and threw it into a barrel. It clinked and jingled as it joined a massive amount of g. "Thank you. Now we can guide you to Captain Undyne! And we will get muns from it. Perhaps extra for catching traitor flower." Temmie tapped a large button on thermos in which she held. When the button was activated, the top flipped open and a large light turned yellow on the front. The outline of a soul was on the yellow button. The seven colored lights began to glow in a dim fashion.

"Wh-what's that?" Frisk prompted.

"Container," Temmie answered simply. "It catches your soul when we kill you."

The first temmie sniffed the bag and perked up. "Dog Residue?"

"Dog Residue?!" the temmie behind the counter gasped. "You have Dog Residue?"

Frisk nodded. "Y-yeah. We do."

"Give it to us!" the one behind the counter hissed, eyes wide and teeth bared.

Flowey shook his head. "No! If you let us go, we'll give it to you. But if you take us…" Flowey took out the husk and wrapped two vines around it. "I'll destroy it."

Immediately, the two temmies behind them backed up. The temmie behind the counter shut the thermos lid. "Give us Dog Residues! We promise not to hunt you! Or take your soul!"

Flowey nodded. "Good. Here." He dropped the husk on the counter. The two temmies behind them swarmed the counter. The one behind the counter snarled and wrapped her arms around it. The two other temmies barked and attempted to jump onto the counter to take it from her.

Frisk turned around and fled Temmie Village. "I… don't like Temmie Village," Frisk admitted.

Flowey nodded. "Yeah. Me neither. Let's just… keep going." Nearer to the beginning of the trail, another trail split off from the first mushroom. After one last mushroom was activated, they got to continue the trail.

This area lacked mushrooms of any sort. Dimly glowing purple crystals littered the ground. A maze of thin strips of glowing grass curled about the ground. Little lamps decorated different places. A sign hung on the wall next to the first lamp post. Flowey read aloud, "'Without candles or magic to guide them Home, the monsters used crystals to navigate.' What does that- oh." Flowey looked about.

Frisk attempted to mimic him, but still couldn't see anything. "What happened? Is it darker?"

"It's pitch black!" Flowey exclaimed in exasperation. "Why'd it go black? I can hardly see anything here!"

"You can't see anything? Oh dear! What a nightmare."

"Frisk, this isn't the time."

"Well, they used the crystals to guide them. Maybe use the crystals."

Flowey squinted and shook his head. "Nope. Feel around. Is there anything…? Ah!" The grass maze was illuminated again. The crystal lights dimmed out of existence due to sheer contrast. "There. We just need to touch multiple lamps around the maze to keep the grass lit up."

"That sounds fun!" Frisk purred as they carried on down the trail.

"Everything is fun to you," Flowey smirked.

Frisk giggled. "True!" The grass was very dark. Frisk touched a lamppost. The grass glowed again. Although they ran into many dead ends, they eventually found a wall in which led them to a long, small room. There was a small trail of illuminated grass, which gradually began to darken. It led, however, into a pond. Frisk stepped in and nearly fell. The water was chest deep! Spooked, they waded as quickly as they could forward. The dying light dimmed into nothingness. They crawled onto land. At the very end, leaning on a wall, was an echo flower.

" _U."_

Frisk whipped around. Light returned to the area. Captain Undyne, at the edge of the pool, watched the human and their flower. For the first time, Captain Undyne spoke to them. "Seven. Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king… King Asgore Dreemurr… will become a god. With that power, King Asgore can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity… and give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured. Understand, human? This is your _only_ chance at redemption. Give up your soul, or I'll tear it from your body." Captain Undyne slipped into a battle stance. A spear appeared within her hands. With a hiss, Captain Undyne charged them. Frisk and Flowey back up against the wall until they could move no more.

Before Captain Undyne's spear could meet Frisk's heart, Monster Kid jumped out of the grass hanging from the wall nearby. "Ha-ha! Captain Undyne! I'll help you fight!" Monster Kid looked between Captain Undyne, whose spear still pointed straight at Frisk, and Frisk, whose wide eyes now flicked between Captain Undyne and Monster Kid. "Ha! You found her, too! We got front row seats to her fight!" They kid looked between Captain Undyne and Frisk again. "…wait. Whose she fighting?" With a sharp sigh of exasperation, Captain Undyne took Monster kid by one of his frills and dragged him away. Her spear vanished. "H-hey! You aren't going to tell my parents about this, are you?"

Frisk fell to one knee and put a hand to their thundering heart. "Oh… my… goodness."

Flowey brushed his head against Frisk's. "Hey! Frisk. We're okay."

"She… nearly _killed_ me!"

"But she didn't?"

"If Monster Kid wasn't here… if he hadn't interrupted her… she'd have… sh-she'd have-!" Frisk whimpered, tears forming in their dull eyes.

"Whoa, whoa!" Flowey gasped. "It's alright! He did come in and save the day, right? H-he got her off you. But now we have to go, okay? We have to go before she comes back. M-maybe you won't even have to fight her if you hurry! Come on, Frisk. Get up!"

"I regret everything I said about her." Frisk whimpered again and shakily got to their feet. From the center of the pond, a trail of glowing grass led straight up. Frisk waded through the deep pond again and through to the new trail. This trail was thicker. It led to a tunnel that was partially flooded so Frisk's feet got wet again. Echo flowers, all strangely silent, littered the ground in the thin tunnels.

Flowey glanced back at his trembling friend. Biting back a sigh, he called, "Howdy."

" _Howdy."_

Frisk perked up.

Flowey continued, "Har, har, har."

" _Har, har, har."_

Frisk smiled and giggled. The flower imitated them. Unfortunately, Frisk couldn't stay long. They hardly had time to say "Look behind you~!" before Flowey rushed them. At the end, a sign hung on the wall. "What's that?"

Flowey read aloud, "'However… there is a prophecy. The Angel… The One Who Has Seen the Surface… They will return and the underground will go empty."


	21. Waterfall- Asparagus

Chapter Six

 _Asparagus_

Frisk and Flowey encountered a rickety bridge just outside of the crystal-flecked tunnel. They crossed it with ease. It was near the end of the long bridge that they were stopped. They turned around.

Monster Kid raced down the bridge and stopped before them. "H-hey! It's you. I know I'm not supposed to be here, but… I need to ask a favor of you. Yo… you're human right? Heh… I knew it. Well, I know now. Um, well, Captain Undyne told me to 'stay away from that human' so… I guess that's you. So, I guess that makes us enemies, me being a monster and you a human. Normally I'm good at it but… I just can't hate you. So, uh, say something mean so I can hate you?"

"Why?" Frisk questioned. "I mean, why can't we be friends? Even if we're different?"

"Yo, Frisk, you're really nice but humans are our enemies you know. So, just, tell me something bad, okay? To, uh, make me feel better?" Monster Kid requested.

Frisk hesitated. "Um… uh… you're a c-clumsy no good monster."

Monster Kid tipped his head. "Huh…? _That's_ your idea of mean? Pfft. My sister tells me that all the time! Guess I have to do it, then." He straightened himself out. "Yo. I… you're a… stupid human. …darnit." Monster Kid rolled his eyes. "Yeah I stink at this. I'd better go home." He turned and ran away. Unfortunately, he tripped and fell. With a cry of surprise, he bit down on the bridge and clawed at the beams holding it up with all his might. His tail wagged back and forth in an effort to keep his balance. "H-h-help! I-I fell!"

Captain Undyne appeared at the other end of the bridge. She held up her hand to summon a spear but hesitated upon seeing Monster Kid. She took a step forward to aid him. However, Frisk was already by his side. The human wrapped their arms around his neck and chest. Flowey's vine ensnared his waist and upper chest. Together, they dragged the kid onto the bridge.

Once he was stable, Monster Kid stood up. Frisk and Flowey let go. Immediately, he whipped around to face Captain Undyne, head low and tail whipping back and forth. "Yo! If you want to h-hurt my friend, th-then you're going t-to have to get p-past me, first!" Monster Kid puffed out his chest to make himself look bigger. He narrowed his eyes and bared sharp teeth. Unfortunately, his stutter and size did not make him that threatening despite his spikes, teeth, and clawed feet.

Captain Undyne took a few steps back, hesitated, and then walked away.

Monster kid turned back to Frisk. "She's… she's gone. You really saved my skin there. Guess, uh, being enemies was just a nice thought. Haha… Guess we'll have to be friends instead. I should really get home. My parents must be worried… Welp, see you later!" The kid turned and raced away.

Frisk gave him a small wave. "He's… that was really brave of him."

Flowey nodded. "Yeah. You did a great job, Frisk. Now, let's not let his bravery go to waste. I think we're at the end of Waterfall, anyway."

The human sighed and nodded. "Oh, that's good." They turned and left the bridge and crossed through the tunnels. Soon enough, after a small amount of walking and another bridge, the tunnel opened into a cave. A rocky outcropping with a hole at its base was the entrance to the next tunnel. The cave system opened around them. Crystals glimmered in the ceiling.

Frisk and Flowey continued forward. They were stopped dead by a loud voice above them.

Captain Undyne, perched on the rocks above, glared down at them. "Seven. Seven humans souls and King Asgore will become a god. Six. That's how many we've collected thus far. Understand? Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed. First, however, as customary for those who make it this far… I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started, long ago…" Quite suddenly, her dark voice sharpened. "No. You know what? Fuck it! Why should I tell you that story, if you're about to die?!" Captain Undyne's midnight metal fingers caught on her helmet.

 _Clang!_

The metal instrument that protected her head and hid her face clanged down the rocky outcropping. She glowered down at them with one orange, slit-pupil eye. Her left eye was covered by an eye patch. Fins sprouted from the sides of her blue head instead of ears. Her long red ponytail flowed back over her armor. She bared her fangs in a twisted grin. " _YOU!_ You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Our history books taught us that humans were a fierce race, hardy and combative. But you? You're just a _coward!_ Hiding behind that kid so that you could run away from me again. And let's not forget your goody-two-shoes shtick!"

Captain Undyne laughed, baring every razor tooth she could and creating a harsh sound that mimicked a laugh, though it could have been a mocking bark. "Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers!" Her twisted grin returned and her voice evened out. "You know what would be more valuable to everyone? If you were _dead!_ That's right, human! Your continued existence is a crime! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, we can't lose! Now, human! Let's end this right here, right now. I'll even give your coward hide a chance to prepare yourself. Step forward when you're ready to _die!_ Fuhuhuhuhu!"

Captain Undyne crouched and set one hand on the stone before her. Her sharp gaze did not leave Frisk. Frisk looked back at Flowey. "Th-this is it, then?"

"Don't… don't give up, Frisk!" Flowey encouraged. "W-we can do this! We can…" His voice lowered to a breath. "You're fast. We can do this."

Frisk gave him a curt nod. "I… I want to try talking to her first." A glimmer of yellow light appeared to their right. Frisk's fingers passed through it.

" _The wind is howling. Your greatest challenge so far is before you. You are filled with determination."_

"You were literally whimpering about her trying to kill you a few minutes ago."

"I-I know. I shouldn't have said that."

"You're a strange kid, Frisk."

Frisk shut their eyes and took a deep breath. "Flowey, she's good, fast, and strong. I'm going to need your help now more than ever."

Flowey nodded. "I will not let you down, Frisk! I promise!"

Frisk smiled. "Thank you, Flowey. Let's… let's get this over with." Frisk looked up. Captain Undyne looked like a hungry cougar, perched in the rocks and teeth bared in the anticipation of a meal. Frisk took a step forward.

Captain Undyne hissed in glee and laughed, "That's it then? Well here I come!" A spear materialized in her hands. The monster leaped from the rock and landed between them and their exit. Her spear cracked into the earth and sunk a few inches into the stone. Frisk's soul appeared before them. Captain Undyne tore her spear out of the stone. "En guarde!" Captain Undyne cried with a wave of her spear.

Frisk jumped. Their soul turned green. They could not move. It was as if chains wrapped about their ankles and anchored them to the ground. Captain Undyne snapped her spear in half and threw the staff at Frisk. Frisk caught it and held it close.

" _Undyne- Attack 60, Defense 30. HP 1800. The heroine who NEVER gives up."_

Captain Undyne sneered, "As long as you're _green_ you can't _escape!_ Unless you learn how to face danger head on… You won't last a _second_ against me!"

Crystal spears appeared before them. As soon as they formed, they launched themselves at Frisk. Frisk raised their staff. Each time a summoned spear hit the staff, the summoned one evaporated.

"C-Captain Undyne!" Frisk pleaded once the last spear dissipated. "I don't want to fight you!"

"I wouldn't either!" Captain Undyne laughed with a venomous smile. This time, the wicked spears materialized all around the and shot forward.

"L-Left! Left!" Flowey yelped. Frisk whipped around, holding up their spear-shaft. The last of the spears vanished. "Right! D-D- FRONT! FR- RIGHT!" Flowey stammered as he attempted to instruct them as fast at the spear came. Their heart began to crack.

"I won't fight you!" Frisk stated.

"For years we've dreamed of a happy ending…" Captain Undyne admitted, ignoring Frisk completely. "But for years the possibility never came true." More spears were summoned. Frisk gasped and blocked each one they could. Flowey's direction aided quite a bit as the spears were small. They were blue approaching, but flashed a blood red upon getting too close. Although it helped, it still wasn't good enough. Their soul cracked further.

"Now, sunlight is just within our reach!" Captain Undyne crowed and summoned another circle of spears. These ones were slower. A plethora of spears circled and struck. Although they were slow, they were so close together, Frisk couldn't discern spear from spear and had to spin around so fast they made themselves dizzy. "I won't let you snatch it away from us!"

Frisk, hardly concentrating on Captain Undyne's words, matched each spear thrown at them. When they turned back to her, Captain Undyne flashed a menacing smile. "Ngahh! Enough warming up!" Spears came more quickly this time. Frisk manage to block them all. Then, the spear Captain Undyne held flashed out. It phased through their soul and turned it red. Their spear shaft vaporized. Another spear approached. Frisk ducked and took a step back. They could move!

They attempted to run past her. A wall of spears appeared. Frisk cried out in fear and took a step back. Spears spun into existence and shot at them. Frisk jumped back and ran forward and side-stepped the absurd about of spears. Once the volley was over, Frisk looked up at Captain Undyne. She didn't look tired in the _least._

Without hesitation, Frisk slipped under Captain Undyne and raced away. Their soul was absorbed into their body again. Captain Undyne gave chase. Flowey gasped, "Oh- run faster! She's catching up!"

"I can't!" Frisk gasped. "I'm going as fast as I can!"

"SHE HAS METAL ARMOR ON! HOW?!" Captain Undyne raced ahead of them. Their soul appeared before their chest. They skittered to a stop before they could hit Captain Undyne.

"Enough running away!" Captain Undyne barked. "Honestly, I'm doing you a favor…"

Spears shot up to make a cage around them. Blue circles began to glow under them. There was only one spot at a time that didn't glow blue. Once the attack was over, Captain Undyne swung her spear at them. The wall of spear vanished. Frisk's soul turned green. The spear shaft appeared in their grasp.

"No one has made it past King Asgore." Spears came at them from the front and the back. Some were quick, some were slow. Frisk's back hurt from the amount of times they had to spin around and around to catch the spears. By the time the attack was over, Frisk felt dizzy.

"So, killing you now is an act of mercy," Captain Undyne growled. The sudden thought of Toriel crossed their mind. A barrage of arrows shot at them. A golden spear raced toward them at the end. Frisk had little time to wonder about its color when it flew around to their other side. Frisk yelped in pain as the final spear tore through their soul, shattering it like glass. _Shirk. Chink!_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Frisk and Flowey woke up by the golden light, by their last save point. Frisk took a shaky breath before engaging again. Captain Undyne did not seem to have any recollection of their death. That was fine; Frisk did not like the idea of Captain Undyne boasting further.

Six more attempts were made before they got farther than before.

"So, stop being so damn resilient!" Captain Undyne snarled and waved her free hand. Arrows popped up _everywhere._ Frisk couldn't dodge them all. By the time the barrage was over, they felt dizzy. Mercifully, their soul turned red. They ducked another arrow. They raced forward.

Captain Undyne inevitably caught them, straight under an electronic sign that had letters that moved. "WELCOME TO HOTLAND" was spelled in bright red letters. They were so close.

"Erg! Enough running away!" Captain Undyne snapped. Their soul turned green. Without hesitation, Frisk nearly swallowed the cinnamon bunny whole. Most of the cracks vanished. "Dr. Alphys told me that humans were determined…" More spears attacked. Gold mixed with red as they sped at them. Flowey gripped the spear shaft and spun them around to block many of them. Flowey couldn't possibly talk fast enough to give them appropriate directions. By the time the barrage ended, Frisk's head was fuzzy. Captain Undyne turned their soul red.

"I see now what she meant by that." This time, spears formed a circle around them. They spun and closed in on them in large, shrinking circles. Frisk had to dart out of the openings provided. Each time a circle vanished, another appeared. They were completely trapped. By the time the attack was over, Frisk's mind had cleared enough for them to run away.

"DODGE!" Flowey cried. Frisk's eyes grew round. A spear, summoned outside of their fight, formed and shot. It tore into their shirt and chest. _Shirk! Chink…_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Frisk could hardly get past Captain Undyne. Their soul shattered again and again and again. They reappeared at the golden sparkle again and again and _again._ Frisk dodged and ran and blocked as fast and hard as they could. Yet, each time they fought, each time they died, they found that they were getting better.

Seven more tries later, Frisk made it to the farthest they'd gone in that battle. _"WELCOME TO HOTLAND"_ glowed in red dots that moved across a giant electric sign.

"But I am determined, too!" The spears came fast- too fast. Cracks formed in their soul. Frisk blocked each spear as best as they could, though the barrage of golden spears at the end cracked their soul further.

"Determined to end this right now!" The spears came faster. Green mixed with blue. They were too fast for Flowey to help through words. He tapped their sides with his vines to show which direction the closest spear was arriving.

"Ngahh! Die already, you little brat!" Captain Undyne spat. Golden arrows mixed with blue and red. Frisk whipped around and caught as many as they could. By the time the barrage was over, they nearly dropped the spear shaft for injury and exhaustion. Their soul turned red and they ducked the spear.

However, as Frisk and Flowey raced away from the infuriated Captain of the Guard, their phone rang. Frisk picked up the phone. "H-Hello? I-I'm kinda busy!" they wheezed.

"HUMAN? WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHAT HAS KEPT YOU BUSY FOR SO LONG? YOU SAID THAT YOU WOULD'VE CALLED ME BY NOW!" Papyrus complained.

Frisk squeaked and glanced back. Captain Undyne was pressing in closer. A cluster of spears flew at them. Flowey hissed, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! TELL HIM WE'RE BUSY!"

"I'm s-sorry! I'm super b-busy right now. I'll call you later, okay?" Frisk promised and hissed in surprise as they nearly tripped over a spear that rushed up from the ground. Blue circles appeared in the path before them.

"HOW LONG IS LATER?"

"I-In a few minutes! I swear to God, I will call you back in a few minutes!" Frisk wheezed and side-stepped a spear that Captain Undyne threw from behind. "I have to go now! Sorry! I'll call you back! I promise! Bye!" _Click._ Frisk ducked as the spear was waved at them.

They sped out of the tunnel. Heat blasted into them so suddenly that they nearly tripped over themselves for the climate change alone. They stood now upon hard, red stone. Lava boiled beneath them, long enough away to keep from heat stroke but close enough to feel its heat and see its light. In a sentry station just outside of waterfall, Sans pretended to sleep. One eye was opened slightly to watch Frisk run. His sardonic smile widened and he snickered at their overwhelming fear.

Flowey hissed at him. Sans flicked his fingers. A wall of bones appeared. The way to the bridge above a lava pit was blocked. Captain Undyne, cackling in glee, stopped behind them. Sans pretended to go back to sleep. Frisk held up one hand and backed up until they were right before the bone wall. "U-uh! Um! We don't h-have to fight. No one has to die t-today."

"Can it, Human," Captain Undyne growled and pointed her spear toward them. One hand touched something on her belt. It looked like the thermos Temmie owned. "Your soul belongs to me."

"Like h-heck it does!" Flowey squeaked. A round of friendliness pellets destroyed three of the bones in the wall. A vine whipped out and tore Captain Undyne's ponytail back. She gasped and took a step backward. One of her spears cut his vine in half. "AGK! Go! RUN!" Flowey's injured vine retreated into his backpack. Frisk squeezed between the bones and raced down the bridge. Sans waved his hand. The bone wall vanished. Captain Undyne gave chase. However, by the time Frisk's feet hit warm stone, Captain Undyne's movements had slowed. They turned back to see Captain Undyne, wheezing and gasping.

"Armor… so… hot…" she wheezed. Sweat dripped down her face and armor. Captain Undyne took another step forward. "But I can't… give up…" Captain Undyne's spear vanished. The fish monster took a few more steps forward and then collapsed.


	22. Waterfall- Fish Out of Water

Chapter Seven

 _Fish out of Water_

Frisk sucked in their breath and approached the fish monster. She twitched and groaned but otherwise didn't react to Frisk's presence. Flowey's eyes grew round. "Oh no. Oh no! You are _not_ going to help her! …you are, aren't you? Darnit." Frisk turned around. A water cooler was in the corner. They darted toward it and filled a paper cup with water. It was by no means cold. However, it wasn't too hot. Frisk turned around and walked over to the overheated woman. Captain Undyne half-opened her eye to look up at them. Frisk knelt and poured water over her head and back.

Captain Undyne shook her head, coughed, and shakily got to her feet. She looked about, stared at Frisk for a few moments, and then walked away.

Frisk sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness."

"Yeah. She could've killed us, Frisk! Right after you helped her!" Flowey pointed out.

Frisk shook their head and approached the water cooler again. "No. She was doing what was right for her people. If she knows that I mean no harm, then she won't fight me, right? Besides, she was very weak. Now… what did Papyrus want?" Frisk held up the phone for Flowey. He used a vine to tap in the correct numbers. As he did so, Frisk took up another cup and offered it to Flowey. He denied it with a shake of his head. So, Frisk drank it.

 _Brriiing. Briiin-_ "HELLO? HUMAN! IS THAT YOU?"

Frisk smiled. "Yeah, Papyrus! Sorry I couldn't talk to you earlier. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"OH! I WANTED TO SPEAK WITH YOU ABOUT CAPTAIN UNDYNE! YOU SEE, SHE'S CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD. SO, IF SHE KNEW YOUR QUEST, THEN SHE WOULDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO KILL YOU! I, OF COURSE, THEN KNEW THAT THE RIGHT THING TO DO WAS TO INVITE YOU OVER TO CAPTAIN UNDYNE'S HOUSE SO THAT WE COULD TALK THIS OVER!" Papyrus proclaimed.

Frisk nearly choked on the water they had just drank. "T-talk to Captain Undyne?" Flowey's eyes widened in sheer surprise.

"YES, HUMAN. DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?"

"O-oh I did! I am just surprised is all," Frisk chuckled. "Um… I would love to. But, don't you think she'll attack me first?"

"NOT IF YOU ARE A HOUSE-GUEST!" Papyrus claimed. "SHE'S BOUND BY HER HONOR! THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY SHE WANTS TO KILL YOU! BUT IF YOU ARE AN HONORABLE PERSON WHO IS HELPING US, THEN SHE WILL SEE IT DISHONORABLE TO KILL A PERSON IN SERVICE TO THE KINGDOM! A SMART PLAN, YES? OF COURSE, IT IS. I MADE IT. MEET ME AT CAPTAIN UNDYNE'S HOUSE. IT IS RIGHT NEXT TO NAPSTABLOOK'S HOUSE AND NEAR THE DUMP. DON'T BE LATE!"

"O-okay! Of course!" _Click._

Flowey stared at Frisk. "What are you doing?"

"Do you… um… want a glass of water?" Frisk offered. "It's good."

"Frisk, you're not going to Captain Undyne's house. Please tell me you're not!"

"I have to, Flowey!" Frisk whined. "Papyrus is expecting me to be there. Besides, maybe we can work this out with Captain Undyne and she will help us!"

Flowey shook his head. "Please, Frisk. This is serious. She's not like everyone else. She will kill you!"

Frisk took a deep breath. "I know. But we have to try. Besides, if we're killed then we'll just… come back here, right?"

Flowey let out a deep sigh. "This better work. Give me some water, please."

The young human smiled and watered the ground he was in with the warm water from the cooler. Then, they turned and entered the next area. Their cup evaporated. A yellow glimmer was in the center of it. Behind it was a giant laboratory. Frisk's fingers brushed the glimmer.

" _Seeing such an ominous laboratory in a place like this fills you with determination."_

They turned and went down. A river was there, under the hot red steps and into a tunnel below. A boat guarded by a hooded person sat upon it. "Hello…" the hoarse voice whispered.

Flowey immediately shook his head. "Wh-what is this? I don't like it."

"Who are you?" Frisk inquired.

"I am the River Keeper," the voice rasped. "I control the boat. If you want to go somewhere, I'll drop you off at one of the docks… for a price. 2g a ride."

Frisk looked through their bag. At the bottom, a few stray g had escaped their little purse that Temmie had taken. "Okay. That sounds nice. Can you take us to Waterfall?"

"Waterfall… yes…" The hooded figure took the gold provided by Frisk. The young human sat down in the boat. "Now we're off…" The tunnel walls flowed past them as the boat swam through the water. "Beware the man who speaks in hands…" the River Keeper warned.

Once they got to the Waterfall Dock, the boat stopped. Frisk jumped nimbly out. "Thank you! Have a nice day!"

"Good luck…"

"That was pleasant," Frisk purred.

"You shouldn't trust random monsters, Frisk," Flowey pointed out and sighed. "But these conveniences really make it hard to drive the point home."

Frisk walked up and the turned to the quiet place just off the river. Captain Undyne's house was at the very top-left corner. Papyrus, chest puffed out and proud as ever, stood before her fish-themed house. Piano music drifted from within. His sharp eyes flicked to Frisk. "OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES! GOOD! ARE YOU READY TO 'HANG OUT' WITH CAPTAIN UNDYNE? I HAVE THE GREATEST PLAN TO MAKE YOU TWO AT LEAST AGREEABLE ACQUAINTANCES! NYEH-HEH! READY?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. Flowey! Hush! We can't mess this up." Flowey stuck his tongue out and retreated into Frisk's backpack.

Papyrus turned and knocked on the door. The piano music stopped immediately. The top row of teeth on the door slid up while the bottom slid down. Captain Undyne stood at the door. Without her armor, she looked smaller, thinner. A ragged black shirt with a red heart broken by a spear dressed her along with long black pants. Her vicious teeth were bared in a nice smile. "CAPTAIN UNDYNE! I HAVE COME UPON YOUR REQUEST."

"You have," Captain Undyne agreed. "Now hurry along. We've got to get to business."

Papyrus smirked. "OF COURSE! AND, I BROUGHT A FRIEND WHO WOULD BE WELL SUITED FOR THIS!" He stepped aside.

Captain Undyne's sharp eye turned to Frisk. "A friend? Well, hello. I don't believe we've… met…" Her smile immediately turned into a grimace. Her sharp eyes flicked from the human to Papyrus. When he didn't speak, she hissed through her teeth, "Why don't. You two. Come in?"

Papyrus strode inside after her. Flowey squeaked, "Can't we just, not go? She's really, _really_ mad! Um, I think we have to, uh, be somewhere. Like, drowning in lava or something."

Frisk's smile wavered. "I-I know. But there's no going back now." The door snapped shut behind them. They jumped at the noise and action.

Captain Undyne's gaze flicked constantly between Papyrus and Frisk. "So. Are we ready to start?"

"YES!" Papyrus agreed and then hesitated. "ACTUALLY… I FORGOT SOMETHING. YOU TWO GET STARTED. I'LL BE BACK." He turned and swept out the door.

Captain Undyne glared at Frisk. All color was lost from Frisk's face. "So why are _you_ here?" she growled. "To rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me further? Is that it?"

Frisk squeaked, "N-no."

Captain Undyne huffed, "Then why are you here?" Before Frisk could answer, Captain Undyne sneered, "Oh I get it. You think I'm going to be friends with you, huh? _Right?"_

Flowey shivered from inside their backpack. "J-Just, uh, b-be careful. Yes, maybe?"

Frisk gave a short nod. "Y-yes."

"Really? How delightful! I accept! Let's all frolic in the fields of friendship!" Captain Undyne laughed. Flowey stopped shivering and peeked out from behind Frisk's head. Frisk stared at her in disbelief. However, their disbelief was quickly put away by Captain Undyne's abrupt change of mood. "Yeah _right!_ Why would I _ever_ even _try_ to befriend you? If you weren't my houseguest, I'd spear you right now. You're in the way of everyone's hopes and dreams!" Again, Captain Undyne managed to show off every one of her teeth, as if to intimidate Frisk and Flowey further. Was there such a level of anxiety and fear beyond what they felt for Captain Undyne right then? "I will _never_ be your friend. Now get out of my damn house before I force you."

Papyrus appeared by the open window. "DAMN. WHAT A SHAME. I THOUGHT CAPTAIN UNDYNE COULD BE CIVIL WITH YOU, MAYBE EVEN FRIENDLY. BUT I MUST HAVE OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE'S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE. OH WELL."

"CHALLENGE?! What?!" Captain Undyne gasped. "Papyrus! Wait a…! Dammit." Captain Undyne turned her gaze to Frisk again. "Heh. He thinks I can't be nice to you? HA! I'll be so nice to you that you'll have no choice then to be my friend! That'll show him!" she sneered and widened her toothy smile. "Uh- have a seat." She gestured to her large table decorated by a fancy doily with a fish imprinted on it.

Flowey tapped Frisk on the shoulder and then on the ground. The young human jumped, nodded, and trotted over to the table. They had to climb up into the seat as it was made for people as big as Papyrus and perhaps someone like Toriel. Flowey looked back up to Captain Undyne.

"Comfortable? Good. I'll get you something to drink." Captain Undyne strode over to the fridge and took out various things- a box, bottle, container, and can. "All set! What would you like?"

Frisk squinted and attempted to get up. A spear materialized and launched itself at the table. Frisk and Flowey screamed in surprise and fear. The table before them snapped in half with a spear digging into the ground at the center.

"Hey! Don't get up!" Captain Undyne snapped and then straightened herself out. "Er- how about you use just point to what you want. You can use the spear."

Frisk picked up the end of the spear. It was too big and heavy for them to hold. "Um… what's there, Flowey?"

"Sugar, soda, hot chocolate, and tea," Flowey listed.

"Oh! Point to the hot cocoa, please," Frisk purred. "That's my favorite drink."

Flowey's vine crept out and grabbed the spear. It turned to point at the blue can of hot cocoa.

"Huh? Hot chocolate?" Captain Undyne glanced at the contained to Frisk and Flowey. "Well o- oh, wait, wait. I forgot. I stopped buying the stuff. It's too much of a hassle since King Asgore kept getting marshmallows in his beard." She flashed a toothy smile, though it didn't look too genuine. Flowey pointed the spear to the tea boxed beside it. "Tea, huh? Well, it's the best choice, I'll admit. You wait there." Captain Undyne strode over the boxes of tea and began to shift through them.

"What tea is she getting?" Frisk breathed.

"Well… it's a yellow container. I don't know," Flowey whispered back.

"Okay." Frisk shrugged. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's good. You can't go wrong with tea, right?"

Captain Undyne put on a teapot to boil. "It'll take a minute," she explained without looking back. "So, don't hold your breath." Eventually, steam rushed out of the teapot. Captain Undyne messed with it a little bit before holding up a cup in her hands. "It's, uh, ready!" Frisk smiled as the captain set the teacup on the uneven surface of the table and sat on the opposite side. "Careful. It's hot." Frisk gently blew on it. Captain Undyne sighed in exasperation, "It's not THAT hot! Drink it already!"

Frisk nodded and took a sip. It's burning. But other than that, it was pretty good.

"It's pretty good, right?" Captain Undyne chuckled. Frisk smiled and nodded. "Nothing but the best here, of course!" A sudden sigh escaped her. "It's funny you chose that tea. Golden Flower tea. That's King Asgore's favorite kind. You kind of remind me of him… the younger him." She chuckled. "You know, when I was a kid, I tried to fight King Asgore, just to prove to everyone how tough I was. He's… well, emphasis on _tried_. I couldn't land a single hit on him. Yet, worse than that, he wouldn't even fight back. Afterward, he commented on my fighting spirit and offered to train me. Then, one day during practice, I managed to knock him down. Funny. I actually… felt bad about it. But God damn did he look proud. Long story short, he kept training me and now I'm Captain of the Royal Guard." She puffed out her chest upon speaking her title. "So now _I_ get to train people to fight! Like… er… Papyrus." Her smile fell.

Frisk tipped their head. "Huh? What's so bad about that?"

She shook her head. "Kid, you probably won't understand this but… being part of the royal guard means putting every bit of yourself into fighting, into defending. The guard? They're good at their jobs. The dogs… aren't so that's why they're in Snowdin. It's the softest place in the Underground. Don't you _dare_ tell Papyrus this but, the reason he wasn't promoted, and probably won't be, is… well… you. Not too much you in specific, but how he treated you."

"What?" Frisk's eyes grew round. "He can't be promoted because he didn't catch me?"

Captain Undyne shook her head. "He's merciful. He can't kill. You probably got in a fight with him, yes?"

Frisk nodded. "Yes. He blocked my way out of Snowdin."

"But you're alive," The Captain of the Royal Guard pointed out. "He couldn't physically kill you."

"He wanted to capture me to send me to the king!"

"He had explicit orders to kill on sight. But what did he do? Put you through puzzles," Captain Undyne pointed out. "Then gave you the opportunity to _prepare_ for the fight. After you were captured, he healed you and let you go. Is that correct?"

Frisk nodded and bowed their head. "Y-yeah. But he's a–!"

"-nice guy," Captain Undyne cut them off. "I know. No matter how rough he sounds or acts, he's never killed a single person in his life. He never will. He's physically incapable of murder. He can make someone just weak enough to die, but will never finish the job. Instead, he captures them and brings their weak hides to me or, in your case, to the king. So, we have to kill them. No matter how much I've trained him, he just doesn't seem to get it."

"Why do you have to kill them?" Frisk inquired.

"It's what has to be done. Like I said, you'd never understand. Ugh, why did I even tell you?" Captain Undyne rolled her eyes and then hesitated. "Huh. Out of tea already? Well then I'll get you…" She got up and about strode to the sink. However, she suddenly stopped halfway there. Her eyes widened. "That's perfect! Human!" She spun around to face Frisk and Flowey. "Nothing has gotten Papyrus and I closer than training! So, if we take a leaf out of his earlier training, we'll be closer than you can ever imagine! Fuhuhu! Afraid? Well you should be!"


	23. Waterfall- Necklace

Chapter Eight

 _Necklace_

Flowey sucked in his breath. Frisk chuckled, "Oh! Um… thank you very much but I don't think- eep!"

Captain Undyne grabbed them by the scruff of their neck. Quite suddenly, they were outside. Mad Dummy sat a few feet away. His eyes were narrowed into a glare at them. Captain Undyne stalked around so that she was in front of the dummy. "Human! What magic do you have?"

"M-magic?" Frisk squeaked. "I don't have magic!"

"Why do you think they were running away all that time?" Flowey pointed out.

"No magic?" Captain Undyne echoed. "Hmm… well then, physical weapons it is!" She summoned and then snapped her spear and threw the head of it at them. Frisk caught it. It was long enough to wield, but short enough to handle with ease. Flowey wrapped his vines around Frisk's hands and the parts of the spear they touched to harden their grip. Captain Undyne summoned her own spear, which was much longer. "First of all, you must learn to dodge. You dodged my attacks very poorly last we met," Captain Undyne pointed out. "Since this is training, we won't enter a fight."

"I-I'm sort of blind," Frisk pointed out in a quiet voice. "F-Flowey helps me see."

"I see. Well, that shouldn't impede your judgement! When faced with a problem, WORK AROUND IT! Draw your power from your SOUL! Through sheer determination you will defeat your enemies! In this case, it's me. Now dodge!" Captain Undyne lunged at them. Frisk jumped back and smacked at her spear. The action did nothing. Before she even hit the ground, the captain twirled and swung at them. Frisk ducked. When they attempted to lunge at Captain Undyne, the captain vanished and they ended up overthrowing themselves. Captain Undyne's spear lashed at their legs. They were on the ground, flat on their stomach, in seconds. "How long was that?"

Mad Dummy piped up, "10 seconds."

"Tsk, tsk. Not even half a minute." Captain Undyne knelt and held out their hand. Frisk clambered to their feet. Captain Undyne let go and raised her spear again. "Get in a battle stance- quick!"

Frisk jumped and attempted to mimic Captain Undyne. She sighed and tapped Frisk in the chest. They stumbled back with a yelp as they were put off balance. Captain Undyne's spear managed to stop them from falling. "S-sorry. I've never been taught that."

"Well now you will be. You need a strong stance. If you don't have a strong stance, then you fall and you will die." Captain Undyne shifted Frisk's feet and arms with her spear. "Feel that? Once you get into a good stance, your very soul will feel it. Then nothing can get in your way!"

Frisk tensed and held their spear out before them. They shifted onto the tips of their feet and clutched the spear with strength. She was right. They could feel the power and strength of that simple action. "Y-yeah! I do!"

"Good." Captain Undyne slipped into her own stance and held tight her spear. "You can't see, but you have the potential to fight. Your flower can see, but has no ability to fight. You two are like an arrow head and staff; both can do fine on their own. But their true strength comes from their ability to work together to create a spear! Now, I'm going to strike at you again. Let your instinct guide you. Let your flower be your eyes. Ready? Go!" Captain Undyne lunged at them again.

Frisk jumped out of the way. They dodged the follow up attack. They turned and brought their spear back. Flowey's vines simply guided their swing. Frisk put the force behind it. Captain Undyne jumped back with feet lighter than feathers. Flowey, still controlling the direction of the spear, hissed instructions into Frisk's ear. Frisk, with years of practice in dancing classes, dodged each and every attack. Captain Undyne, full of spirit and devoid of exhaustion, kept on her attack.

"You're going to have to fight at some point!" Captain Undyne pointed out. "Even if you don't want to."

Frisk nodded and stepped to the side. However, before either of the two could properly land, Frisk swung their spear at Captain Undyne. She dodged and whacked Frisk's spear. Both Frisk and Flowey let go of it. They were again on the ground.

Mad Dummy piped up, "Two minutes, twenty seconds."

Captain Undyne helped Frisk up again. "You really suck at fighting. But you're dodging is much better. Have you done this before?"

Frisk shrugged. "Kind of? I'm a dancer. So, I guess that helps."

"A dancer eh…?" Captain Undyne thought for a moment and then smiled her sharp-toothed smile. "We can work with that. As a dancer, you have to keep moving. Constant, vibrant movement, right?"

Frisk nodded, an exuberant smile on their features. "Yeah! You move every part of your body and you get to move to the rhythm of the song. You also have to use your whole concentration and your heart!"

Captain Undyne gave them a curt nod. "That's what fighting's all about. Constant moving, full concentration, all of your power and heart! Your spirit of dancing paired with your determination to survive becomes your fighting spirit! Your fast and flowery movement becomes the grace and energy of a fighter! Now, pick up that spear, Human. We're going again."

Frisk trotted over to where the spear had landed and picked it up. They'd hardly turned around when Captain Undyne launched at them again. However, they'd seen this twice before on Captain Undyne alone. They jumped to the side and smacked at her spear. It did nothing, though that was expected. They ducked and continued the fight. Frisk laughed as they dodged another attack. Captain Undyne, upon landing on the other side of them, spun around and turned her momentum into the energy needed to strike at Frisk. They bounced out of the way and ran around to Captain Undyne's other side. Although they attempted the same trick on Captain Undyne, it didn't work too well. They managed nick her waist. Captain Undyne's spear flashed. They were on the ground again.

"One minute, sixteen seconds."

Captain Undyne helped them back up. "Huh. You cut me. Nice! You're improving! Let's go!" Frisk and Captain Undyne engaged in another duel. Some distance away, Papyrus watched as the two practiced their dueling.

Eventually, Frisk got too tired to continue. They held up their spear. "Okay!" They wheezed. "You got me!"

Captain Undyne stood up straight and let go of her spear. It fizzled into nonexistence. "Tired already? You're going to have to work on your stamina if you want to survive. But I'm sure that this is nice for your first ever fighting lesson."

Frisk let go of the weapon. It fizzled out of existence. "Thanks! I learn from the best."

"Of course you do." Captain Undyne patted their head and looked back at their house. "You're pretty tired. Up for some tea?"

Frisk nodded. "Oh, thank you! And some water for Flowey!"

Flowey sighed. "Yeah I guess I'll take some water."

Captain Undyne opened the door for them to enter. From there, they got to sit at the broken table and drink tea. Captain Undyne prepared another pot as they ran out. Eventually, Frisk was feeling able to run about again. "I got a present for you, punk."

Frisk perked up. "Really? Thank you!"

Captain Undyne laughed. "I haven't even showed you!"

"Oh, right." Frisk set their hands on the table. Captain Undyne smirked and got up. She vanished into her room. After a few moments, she was back. She knelt behind Frisk and set a tiny blue spear connected to a wire on their chest. The spear was tipped down, pointing straight at their heart. The necklace was tied behind their neck.

Captain Undyne sat back down in her spot. "Fits you like a charm. Next time you get in a scrap, remember our lesson."

Frisk squealed in delight, "Thank you! Oh my goodness! This is amazing! Thank you!"

Captain Undyne smiled and sat up straight. "That's me. Now, a bit of advice to you: You're going through Hotland next. The monsters there are pretty tough, and most use fire attacks. King Asgore… he uses fire as well. But, uh, I don't want to hear about the loss of king, no matter what he might say. You might be doing well in training, but I'd still stomp you."

"Of course! Thank you very much, Captain Undyne." Frisk purred and puffed up.

"Oh, and one last thing: Dr. Alphys and Mettaton. Mettaton's not harmless, but everything he does, he does for show. So, if you act well, you might be able to appease him. Being a good dancer and actress should help when you get into a situation with him. And Dr. Alphys? She's the royal scientist. She won't give you much trouble if she knows you're going to the king. She likes experiments, but she doesn't mess with humans- especially with the last one."

Frisk nodded. "Okay. Thank you very much, Captain Undyne. I'll get to the king's castle and I'll make sure everyone is freed. So, I guess, see you there."

Captain Undyne smirked. "See you there, kid."

Frisk turned and strode out of the house. Papyrus was gone. Flowey smiled. "You have a way with people, Frisk. Hopefully it lasts."

"Of course, it'll last, Flowey. As long as we believe in ourselves, and each other, there is nothing we can't do."


	24. Hotland- Quiz

Chapter One

 _Quiz_

Frisk's feet hit the warm stone of Hotland.

They, Flowey over their shoulder, trod up the stairs and up to the small clearing. Lava flowed around them. Frisk set their hand on the little yellow sparkle floating above the land.

" _Seeing such an ominous lab in the middle of fire and lava fills you with determination."_

Frisk turned and walked to the lab, which was just to their right. The door automatically opened upon Frisk's arrival. Flowey shrank back into Frisk's backpack as they entered the lab. "U-um- do we really have to do this?"

"Of course. It's the only way," Frisk replied. It was dark- too dark to see anything. "In addition, she's a friend. She'll help us. If not, he will. If not him… then… we'll figure it out. But I will always make sure that you are safe."

"Always?" Flowey asked in a tiny squeak. He was completely hidden in their backpack.

Frisk smiled. "Always!"

The lights turned on. Frisk and Flowey winced at the light. From a sliding metal door with a bathroom sign beside it came the oddest-looking reptile. She looked like a cross between a raptor and a bearded dragon. A lab coat covered her torso and flowed down to the base of her tail. Although it might have been white, various stains of various colors and sizes yet to be bleached out peppered it. Underneath the lab coat was a black-and-red-striped shirt and dark pants. The reptilian monster looked up. Her glasses flashed in the light. Although they could see through the right one, the left one was clouded and decorated by a hypnotic swirl. "You're the human." The reptile's voice was quiet and monotonous.

"Yep! My name is Frisk!" The young human announced.

The reptile approached them. Although her legs were long, they were currently bent down so that she was hardly a foot, if that, off the ground. Her large feet ending in talons shuffled over the clean tile floor. Dr. Alphys stopped in front of Frisk and tipped her head. "So, you are Frisk." She put her hand on Frisk's shoulder and brushed her scaly fingers against their cheek. "Hmm. A different texture than I expected. Humans usually have less soft skin. Then again, you are younger than quite a few of the humans that fall down. Most of them are around ten or eleven. The oldest was thirteen. It was a male and had a feisty nature. You are the youngest to yet fall down. Eight I presume?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. I'm eight. Why?"

"You are identical to the young human that King Asgore and Queen Toriel kept a long time ago. They were at the age of eight," Dr. Alphys replied in the same quiet, monotonous voice. She walked around them to inspect the young human. "Odd. You are a pretty one. It is difficult to determine your gender from your stance and clothes. You stand like a male, but speak like a female. Your hair is neither male nor female in traditional human style. Human females have longer hair. Human males have shorter hair- at least, in the traditions of the humans around this area. I have been watching you, child. You need not fret. I will not take you." Dr. Alphys stopped in front of Frisk. Then, looking them straight in the eyes and avoiding any type of emotion, they stated, "But you will die."

"Oh." Frisk recoiled. "Um… can you help me? I'm trying to–"

"-get to the king's palace. From there, you will attempt to reason with the king. Then you will somehow find a way to destroy the barrier. I know. You will not succeed. Humans cannot absorb human souls and monsters cannot absorb monster souls. You are required to die in order to free the monsters. But first, you will need to get to the king's palace. Give to me your phone. I will make useful adjustments." She held out her scaly hand.

Frisk took out their ancient cellphone and put it in her hand. "There you go."

"Odd. This phone is very old." The scientist inspected the thing. "I would enjoy studying this. Perhaps later. Wait here." Dr. Alphys turned and strode over to the stairs beside the door. This time, she unfolded her legs a bit so that her strides were longer and thus her walk was faster. Though the stairs were an automatic escalator, Dr. Alphys walked up them.

"She's quite odd," Frisk commented. "I'm pretty surprised. She doesn't look mad… or surprised… or happy… or anything."

Flowey shook his head. "I-I know. She never shows emotions anywhere except near Captain Undyne. She has no soul, I swear it."

Frisk shook their head. "She has a soul. Everyone does. She's even helping us right now!"

"Yeah." Flowey didn't come out of their backpack.

Dr. Alphys strode down the escalator. Surprisingly, she was able to get down the up escalator fairly easily. The scientist stopped before Frisk and held out the phone. "This is yours. I have made some adjustments to it. It will aid you in getting through puzzles and most of Mettaton's tricks. You may leave now." She shuffled out of the way.

"Oh. Um… okay. Thanks!" Frisk waved and started to walk out. However, a low rumbling crash stopped them. Dr. Alphys perked up and wandered forward. The crashing noise sounded again, though now it was closer. "What's that?" Frisk yipped and looked about.

"It's an interesting noise," Dr. Alphys answered.

The crash came again. This time, it made the floor shake. Frisk jumped back with a gasp. Dr. Alphys did not react to the noise with any emotion other than curiosity. "Oh." Then, the wall burst open. The lights went out.

"OH YES! WELCOME, BEAUTIES-" The lights flicked on. A giant metal rectangle shimmered in the light. The robot's dark exterior glinted red and stormy gray. Four arms, each one held beside it with grace, sprouted from its side. A single wheel made up its leg. "-TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!" Clapping and music came out of seemingly nowhere. Flowey looked about. Cameras blinked on from around the room. "OH, I CAN ALREADY TELL ITS GOING TO BE A GREAT SHOW! EVERYONE GIVE A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANT!" Mettaton clapped with his two free hands. His second left hand was actually a canon. His right hand held a microphone. Glitter rained form the ceiling and twirled about Frisk. "NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUS?" Frisk shook their head. "NO PROBLEM! IT'S SIMPLE! THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE! ANSWER CORRECTLY… OR DIE!"

Frisk's soul appeared before their body. Mettaton waved at them. Dr. Alphys stood relatively near his left side. Although she looked quite often to Mettaton, her gaze always found itself back to Frisk.

" _Mettaton- Attack 10, Defense 999. HP ? His metal body renders him invulnerable to attack."_

Frisk bit their tongue. Oh, how were they going to get out of this one?

"LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE!" Mettaton crowd and slid out of the way. He held up a piece of paper. Behind him, an electronic board flashed.

Flowey read aloud, "'What is the prize for answering correctly?'" Four buttons, all gold, appeared before them, just within arm's reach. "I'll read from top left to top right, bottom left to bottom right," Flowey informed them. "'A. Money, B. Mercy, C. New Car, D. More Questions." Flowey glanced up at Dr. Alphys. She stared at him and, when she found he expected her to answer the question, showed him her middle finger. Flowey hesitated and then stated, "Pick D."

Frisk held out their hand on the letter 'D'. Nothing happened. Frisk took their soul and guided it to the button. Letter choice D flashed gold.

"RIGHT! SOUNDS LIKE YOU GET IT!" Mettaton laughed with a wave of his paper. "NOW HERE'S YOUR TERRIFIC PRIZE!" The board changed words.

"'What is the king's full name?'" Flowey prompted. "'A. Lord Asgore. B. King Dreemurr. C. King Asgore Dreamurr. D. Lord Dreemurr.' What? Those _are_ his names. Um… er… C. Pick C." Frisk nodded and guided their heart to the 'C' button.

"TERRIFIC!" Mettaton cried. "ENOUGH ABOUT YOU, NOW ABOUT ME!" The board flashed with the third question.

"'What are robots made of?'" Flowey read. "'A. Electronics and Blood. B. Metal and Magic. C. Souls and Metal. D. Souls and Magic.' …B." Frisk chose the letter 'B'.

"TOO EASY FOR YOU, HUH? HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU!" The sign flashed with words almost too small to see.

"'Two trains, Train A and Train B, simultaneously depart Station A and Station B. Station A and Station B are 252.5 miles apart from each other. Train A is moving at 124.7mph toward Station B, and Train B is moving at 253.5mph toward Station A. If both trains depart at 10:00 AM, and it is now 10:40 AM, how much longer until the trains pass each other?'" Flowey wheezed in exasperation. "'A. 31.054 minutes. B. 16.232 minutes. C. 32.049 minutes. D. 32.058 minutes.' What the heck? Is this even supposed to be possible!? Um… A? M-maybe choose A." Frisk, with some hesitation, guided their soul to the letter choice 'A'. It flashed scarlet. The letter choices vanished.

"Ha-ha!" Mettaton laughed and pointed his canon-hand at them. "You wish." The canon blazed with light. _Chzuuuum! Chink!_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Frisk gasped and put a hand to their chest. They could still feel the singing heat of the laser in their chest. Flowey squeaked, "I told you! We _really_ shouldn't go in there!"

"We don't have any other choice," Frisk denied. They glanced back at the elevator. A rabbit and dragon guards were stationed in front of it. "We'll get it right. So, it definitely wasn't 'A'. Let's try 'D' next time."

"Why 'D'?" Flowey prompted.

"For determination!" Frisk purred.

The flower rolled his eyes. "Well… let's hope this works. Come on."

Frisk strode inside. It didn't take long before Mettaton made his grand entrance. The first few problems were very easy. That was, until…

"TOO EASY FOR YOU, HUH?" Mettaton cried. "HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU!" The sign flashed with words almost too small to see.

"'Two trains, Train A and Train B, simultaneously depart Station A and Station B. Station A and Station B are 252.5 miles apart from each other. Train A is moving at 124.7mph toward Station B, and Train B is moving at 253.5mph toward Station A. If both trains depart at 10:00 AM, and it is now 10:40 AM, how much longer until the trains pass each other?'" Flowey wheezed in exasperation. "'A. 31.054 minutes. B. 16.232 minutes. C. 32.049 minutes. D. 32.058 minutes.' Choose 'D'."

Frisk guided their soul to the letter 'D'. The option lit up and music blared in excitement.

"WONDERFUL!" Mettaton crowed and set a hand on his 'head'. "I'M ASTOUNDED, FOLKS! DON'T 'COUNT' ON YOUR VICTORY!" The screen changed.

"'How many flies are this jar?'" Flowey prompted. A jar full of flies buzzed on screen. "'A. 54. B. 53. C. 55. D. 52.' Um… A…?" Frisk chose the letter in which Flowey advised.

"CORRECT! YOU'RE SO LUCKY TODAY! LET'S PLAY A MEMORY GAME!" The screen flashed with an object.

"That looks like Froggit…" Flowey mumbled. "'A. Froggit. B. Whimsum. C. Moldsmal. D. Mettaton.' A?"

"HA-HA!" Mettaton laughed. "YOU WISH!" Frisk took a few steps back. The laser that Mettaton pointed at them blazed with light. _Chzuuuum! Chink!_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Frisk and Flowey appeared outside again. They, with considerably less excitement, had to go through the entire thing again.

"CORRECT! YOU'RE SO LUCKY TODAY! LET'S PLAY A MEMORY GAME!" The screen flashed with an object. It looked life half of froggit's face.

"'A. Froggit. B. Whimsum. C. Moldsmal. D. Mettaton.' …D," Flowey decided. "The narcissist."

"OH, YOU REMEMBERED? HOW SWEET!" Mettaton cackled as the screen panned out to a picture of Mettaton wearing a Froggit shirt. "HERE'S A SIMPLE ONE!" The screen flashed.

"'How many letters in the name Mettaton?'" Flowey read aloud. "Huh what's- oh." The letter 'n' kept writing itself at the end of his name, thus extending it. All four answers changed into higher amounts as more letters were added. "C…?" C was the correct choice.

"OH OF COURSE THAT WAS CORRECT! NOW ONTO-" Mettaton cut himself off abruptly. "TSK, TSK, TSK, DR. ALPHYS. YOU HAVEN'T BEEN HELPING OUR CONTESTANT, HAVE YOU?" Dr. Alphys gave him a short shake of her head.

Flowey huffed in exasperation, "So he thinks it's impossible we could've won without outside help?"

Mettaton went on, "OOOH! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME! I'LL ASK YOU A QUESTION… YOU'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!" The screen flashed again.

"'Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?' What…?" Flowey read aloud. "A. Captain Undyne. B. King Asgore. C. The human. D. The unknown." Flowey glanced at Dr. Alphys. The reptilian scientist gave him a very cold stare. She flicked her fingers so that they looked like a small 'D' before intertwining her fingers. "U-Um… D. Chose D." Frisk pressed both hands on the letter D. Dr. Alphys gave them a curt nod.

"CORRECT! DR. ALPHYS HAS A CRUSH ON… THE UNKNOWABLE. SHE BELIEVES THAT THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE, WATCHING HER, WHO ACTUALLY LIKES HER. TOO BAD THEY'RE NOT REAL. THEORETICAL PERSON, COME OUT! GIVE US A SIGN!" Dr. Alphys narrowed her eyes at him. He played a derisive laugh track. Otherwise, nothing happened. "THAT SETTLES IT, THEN. WELL, WELL, WELL. WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU, THIS SHOW HAS LOST ITS DRAMATIC ACTION. BUT! THIS WAS JUST A PILOT EPISODE! STAY TUNED, FOLKS, FOR MORE ACTION, MORE ROMANCE, MORE BLOODSHED! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS!" Mettaton's arms folded into himself as did his leg. He was launched back into the wall and out of sight by a rocket. The glitter stopped falling and the cameras turned off.

"Wise choices, Flowey." Dr. Alphys looked back at the flower. He melted back into Frisk's backpack. The scientist turned back to Frisk. "You should go, now, if you seek to find the king prior to night. By night you will be tired and sloppier. You might die before you reach the castle." The reptile shuffled back into the bathroom.

Flowey wheezed, "We should leave. Now."

"Okay." Frisk trotted to the end of the room.

Outside, there was a thin trail leading up to two very thick, very long conveyer belts. One led up to the next area of stone. One led down from that area to the trail. Frisk strolled onto the conveyer belt going away from the lab. Eventually, Flowey's head left Frisk's backpack. He straightened up and looked about. "This place is pretty treacherous. There are a lot of cliffs that fall into lava. Be careful. I'll make sure you don't fall. Just don't start running or leaping."

Frisk nodded. "Okay, Flowey. Thanks. Oh dear!" They stopped as they nearly tripped over a little volcano with legs. Its little face was upturned in a smile and its eyes were closed. Vulkin strolled in.

" _Vulkin- Attack 25, Defense 5. HP 25. It doesn't know fire burns. It thinks it's a healer."_

"Thunder!" The little orange volcano crowed. A puff of steam manifested itself into a cloud. Electricity buzzed through it and finally exploded. Flowey helped Frisk and rushed instructions to dodge. Unfortunately, the attacks were quick and strong. They managed to dodge most it, though a few hit them. Cracks formed in their soul.

"U-um… you're not a healer," Frisk pointed out. "B-but if you really try and practice, you can be?"

"Not… useful?" Vulkin whimpered. "Not… useful." Its attack stopped.

"Oh no! I didn't mean it like that!" Frisk gasped. "I meant that you might not be a healer now, but if you really try and you really study, you can be!"

"Really?" Vulkin smiled again.

"Yes! Now go start learning!" Frisk crowed.

"Okay! Thank you!" Vulkin turned and strolled away.

Frisk sighed happily and continued forth. "Well… that was something. I hope they learn how to heal. That would be nice. Let's go ahead!"


	25. Hotland- Warm Kitten

Chapter Two

 _Warm Kitten_

Ahead, more of the conveyer belts lay in wait. This next one twisted about like a serpent's slither. At the end of it was a little island with a golden sparkle. Whooshing of the steam vents nearby filled their ears.

" _The whooshing sounds of the steam and cogs fill you with determination."_

The cracks in their soul mended themselves. Vents decorated little islands in a confusing mess of ground and steam. Upon stepping on one of the vents, they were launched in the air and fell onto the ground of the island. Frisk stood up and dusted themselves off. "Oh goodness. Isn't there a better way of moving around?"

"Probably. But monsters love intricacy and puzzles," Flowey admitted. The whirring of an engine stopped them. Frisk and Flowey halted and turned forward. A helicopter with a bonnet hovered before them. Yanderecopter gets in the way… completely on purpose.

" _Yanderecopter- Attack 25, Defense 26. HP 80. This helicopter means business… does it really like you?"_

The helicopter huffed, "No way. Why would I like _you?"_ The helicopter spun about the air around them. Little bombs rained around them. Although Frisk and Flowey were able to dodge them, the strips of smoke and fire were not easy to dodge. Cracks reemerged in their soul. Yanderecopter showed off its tail blades, its gaze bright and yet sharp.

Flowey glanced at Frisk. "Ah… I don't like the look of this helicopter."

Frisk narrowed their eyes and smiled. They took a step toward them. "You're looking nice today."

The helicopter hovered a few inches away. "E-eh? What?" A green aura faintly glowed around the copter. Frisk waved their hand through it. The helicopter backed off further. "E-eh-? Whatever. Keep your hands to yourself." The helicopter scoffed and flew away.

"That was weird," Flowey commented. "Let's keep moving, though."

Frisk nodded and wandered about some more. They ended up getting to a piece of land that held a large half-circle of conveyers around it. There was a gap, however, between the stone and conveyers. Both of them led around to the island. On one side, a frying pan was on the ground. Nothing was on the other side.

"There are some arrows here," Flowey commented. "Well, one arrow. But it's changing constantly. Is the steam moving with it…? Frisk, when I tell you to jump on it, jump, okay?"

"Okay. What's special about this one?"

"Jump!" Flowey encouraged. Frisk hopped onto the vent. It launched them onto the small island with the frying pan. "The direction of the steam changed with the direction of the arrow. So, what's that?"

" _Burnt pan: Attack 10. Food heals more. Attacks are consistent."_

"Oh! It makes food better," Frisk informed him.

"It only works if you're holding it, though," Flowey pointed out.

"I can't carry a frying pan in my hand all the time, though!" Frisk pointed out.

"Put it in your bag and take it out during battle," Flowey advised. "It also has a large area. Maybe you could block attacks!"

"Oh! That actually sounds really cool. Thanks!" Frisk set their gloves inside of their bag along with their pan. With that, they trompted off, feet light and head in the air.

The next area they came to was full of lasers. Frisk tipped their head. "Should we ask Dr. Alphys for help?"

Flowey shook his head violently. "No! Er- isn't Papyrus good with puzzles?"

"Oh yeah! He is! Thanks for reminding me." Frisk took out their phone and dialed the number on it.

"HELLO? HUMAN?"

"Hello, Papyrus!" Frisk purred.

"OH! DID YOU NEED SOMETHING…?"

"Well, I'm at a puzzle," Frisk replied. "I can't figure it out. But you're good with puzzles. So, I thought I'd call you!"

"INDEED, I AM GOOD AT PUZZLES! WHAT DOES THIS ONE LOOK LIKE?" Papyrus prompted.

"Well, it's just a long hallway with a bunch of lasers. There are a bunch of orange lasers that are standing still. There are a few blue ones that are moving back and forth. The lasers are kind of low so I can't go under them or above them. Do you know what means? Er- what they do?" Frisk inquired.

"ORANGE AND BLUE LASERS? OH OF COURSE! DO YOU REMEMBER RED ATTACKS? WELL, BLUE LASERS ARE SIMILAR TO RED ATTACKS. YOU CAN'T MOVE WHEN THEY HIT YOU. IF YOU DON'T MOVE, THEY WON'T HURT YOU! ORANGE ATTACKS, AND LASERS, ARE THE OPPOSITE OF RED ATTACKS. THEREFORE, YOU KEEP MOVING THROUGH THEM!" Papyrus explained.

"Oh! Thanks, Papyrus!" Frisk purred. "I'm going to see if I can do it, now."

"CALL ME BACK ANYTIME!" _Click._

Frisk walked straight through the orange lasers. When the moving blue lasers came, both Frisk and Flowey stood stock-still. Once the lasers passed, the two continued. When the lasers came back, they stopped. Eventually, they were able to get past the lasers. A button on a tall pillar stood on the other side. Upon tapping it, the lasers were deactivated. "That was simple enough," Frisk purred.

The next puzzle wasn't that simple.

There were three pieces of land that all encountered the same wall. All three had entrances, but only the middle had doors. A vent went to all three and all three had vents that went back to the center.

Flowey looked about. "Hmm… let's try going to those side rooms. Let's go right, first."

"Okay!" Frisk jumped onto the vent once the arrow pointed right. The entryway with an upside-down heart above it led to a small room. A game with a ship on either side and squares in the middle lit up upon entering. There was a note on the ground. Frisk knelt beside it.

"'Shoot the opposing ship. Move blocks to complete your mission,'" Flowey read aloud. "Okay. Simple enough. Start up the game. I'll tell you where to go." The screen lit up. Four white, full boxes filled the corners. Two hollow boxes were in the space on the top and the space on bottom. Two tear-drop, red icons glowed near their 'ship'. "Okay. Down one, right one." Frisk complied. One empty box filled the left empty space. One of them blocked the entryway. "Shoot twice." Frisk pressed the 'shoot' button twice. The empty box exploded from the first shot. The enemy ship broke upon being hit with the second attack. "Good job!"

Frisk beamed. "Yeah! Hopefully that did something!" They turned and trotted outside. The upside-down heart above the door glowed with neon lights.

The left side held the same puzzle. However, this puzzle was guarded by a laser. It was a stationary blue laser. "Oh dear," Frisk mumbled. "We can't go through there."

 _Brriiiing! Briiing! Br-_ "Hello? This is Frisk."

"Frisk." Dr. Alphys' emotionless voice came out of the receiver. "This blue laser will hurt you if you move through it. I am deactivating it now. If you come across impossible puzzles like this, wait for me to call. Goodbye." _Click._ The blue laser shut off.

"She's helping us," Frisk informed him.

"I don't trust her," Flowey stated. "I don't. But let's get this over with."

This was just a bit more complex. The screen was wider and there were more white boxes and empty boxes. Flowey thought for a moment. "Hmm… okay. Down. Left. Up. Left. Shoot. Shoot. Nice!" The puzzle, complete, deactivated itself. Frisk trotted out of the room, a happy smile dressing them. The door, now that both puzzles were solved, opened.

This next area was a bit odd. Frisk turned the corner and jumped onto a vent. This launched them onto another vent which launched them into a third. Finally, they landed on shiny ground covered in blue tiles with gold circles in the center. Frisk looked about and kept going. Upon entering a door, they were greeted by pitch black. Before they could walk back out, the door shut and locked itself. "O-oh no," Frisk breathed and looked about. "Oh dear. What's happening? What-?" They cut themselves off. Or, rather, they were cut off.

Lights blazed in the kitchen that they were in. Frisk looked about. Flowey copied. However, upon hearing a familiar, robotic voice, both turned to see the third entity on the room. Behind the counter and wearing a chief's hat, Mettaton called, "OH YES! WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW!" Pink words in curly writing flashed above them. "Cooking With a Killer Robot." Sparkles danced about the words before they faded. Mettaton went on, "PRE-HEAT YOUR OVENS BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY! WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING… A CAKE! MY LOVELY ASSISTANT HERE WILL BE GATHERING THE INGREDIENTS. GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE EVERYBODY!" An audio tape of people clapping sounded somewhere nearby. Glitter swirled around them. Flowey coughed as pieces of glitter got in his mouth. "WE WILL NEED SUGAR, MILK, AND EGGS. GO FOR IT, SWEETHEART!"

Frisk looked about. "Er…"

"Up on the counter, under the, uh, window. They're all there," Flowey instructed. Frisk tromped over to the counter where the ingredients were indeed there. Flowey carried the heaviest ingredient, the milk, while Frisk carried the flour and eggs.

After Frisk and Flowey put down the ingredients, Mettaton crowed, "PERFECT! GOOD JOB, BEAUTIFUL! WE'VE GOT ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS WE NEED TO BAKE THE CAKE! MILK… SUGAR… EGGS… OH MY! WAIT ONE MAGNIFICENT MOMENT! HOW COULD I HAVE SO EASILY FORGOTTEN THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT? A HUMAN SOUL!" Mettaton, cackling in glee, aimed his canon-hand at them.

"W-wait!" Flowey cried. "Are you not thinking about your audience?" Frisk jumped and looked back at their flower friend.

"WHAT?" Mettaton prompted.

"I mean, how could you use a living ingredient if you have vegans in your audience? And of people who cannot acquire a human soul?" Flowey prompted. "They'll need to use a substitution. But you're the one making the show, so how could they know what to look for?"

Mettaton hesitated and lowered his canon-hand. "OH, SILLY ME! YOU ARE COMPLETELY RIGHT, FLOWER! THANKFULLY, I DO HAVE A NON-HUMAN SUBSTITION. MTT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT-HUMAN-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE! MY FRIENDLY ASSISTANT, DO YOU MIND GRABBING IT? IT'S JUST ON THAT COUNTER OVER THERE." He waved his hand at the wooden counter just out of the kitchen.

Frisk darted over to the counter. Before they could take it, the wooden counter shuttered, lowered, and then raced up. Frisk and Flowey watched as the counter raced higher and higher.

"OH! BY THE WAY, DARLING. THIS SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE. IF YOU DON'T GET THAT INGREDIENT IN _ONE MINUTE_ , WE'LL HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE _ORIGINAL PLAN!_ BETTER START CLIMBING, BEAUTIFUL!" Mettaton purred. He flew up into the air.

Frisk took a deep breath. "Well. This is a problem. We're just going to have to find a solution. I can't climb, and even if I could, that is way too high. Can you reach it? Or climb?"

"I could, but that would take a while," Flowey answered. "Since it's not a piece of the ground, I can't go there on my own."

 _Briii-_ "Hello? This is Frisk!"

"Frisk. I altered your phone. There's a jet-pack on it. Press the button." _Click._ Dr. Alphys hung up the phone. Frisk looked at their little red and yellow phone. Flowey pressed the little button labeled "jet-pack". The phone expanded. Within seconds, it was almost as big as Frisk. That and it snapped to their back like a magnet. It pushed the backpack with Flowey up a bit. Frisk and Flowey were shot into the air.

Frisk screamed in fright and held out their arms to stabilize themselves. Somewhere above them, Mettaton laughed. Then, he started throwing eggs at them. "Oh my God." Flowey looked up at the tiny projectiles. "He's throwing eggs at you. Okay, follow my direction. Left. Left! Stop. A little to right. Keep going. A little bit forward! Ugh. That one was close." Eggs stopped raining from the sky. Mettaton whipped out a bag of flour and began to throw bits into the air. Although Frisk attempted to dodge, some flour still got on them. Eventually, the flour was put away and replaced by milk. The milk was replaced by eggs and it started over again. By the time Frisk and Flowey got to the top of the counter, They were both covered in flour, eggs, and milk. Flowey sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God. Let's just get this thing and get out of here, huh?"

"MY, MY," Mettaton clicked. "IT SEEMS YOU'VE BESTED ME. BUT NOT WITHOUT THE HELP OF DR. ALPHYS. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS. I'VE ALREADY PRE-BAKED THE CAKE. TOODLES!" Mettaton zipped away.

The young human and the flower gently descended. Their jetpack shrunk back into a phone. "Blegh!" Frisk huffed. "I have enough 'ingredients' on me to bake two cakes!"

"Got that right," Flowey huffed and coughed up some flour. "I hope there's a bath or something here. I'm sort of missing Waterfall."

Frisk chuckled. "No kidding. It's fitting we're in Hotland, though. Maybe if we wait long enough, we'll become a cake!" A yellow sparkle appeared before them as they walked on the thin trail.

" _Thinking of becoming a cake fills you with determination."_

"What's that?" Frisk inquired. A large dark mass broke up the red lava.

"It's the Core," Flowey explained. "It supplies the entire underground with electricity. You can get to an elevator to the king's castle from there."

At the end of the trail was an elevator. "Oh!" Frisk gasped. "Wasn't there an elevator back by the guards?"

Flowey nodded. "Yeah. Are you thinking we can go there and wash off in Waterfall?"

Frisk nodded in enthusiasm. "Yep!"

It turned out that Waterfall wasn't the best place to wash off. Although it was full of water, there was no place where there wasn't someone. So, they got to wash off their clothes at the same time as themselves. This proved problematic as Flowey, somehow trying not to get too wet washing himself off, fell into the river. Frisk had to dive after him. So, wet and cold, the flower and human sloshed back to the elevator. The guards had left, surprisingly. Getting to the floor labeled 'F-2' was easy enough.

Frisk walked down the trail. Eventually, they came across a very happy Vulkin who had a hotdog in its crater. Sans' hotdog stand stood nearby. The skeleton raised an eyebrow at Frisk and Flowey. "what happened? got in a fight with a water puddle?"

Frisk shook their head. "Nope. We got dragged into Mettaton's cooking show and he nearly drowned us in milk, flour, and eggs. We thought Waterfall would be a good place to get washed up. One of us fell in." Frisk shrugged. "The other had to help them."

Flowey huffed, "It wasn't my fault! You put the backpack too close to the water."

Frisk looked back at them. "Uh-huh. It was a perfect distance away. You just wanted to see your reflection." Flowey huffed and Frisk giggled in his indignance. She turned back to Sans. "Anyway, what's up?"

"just running a stand," Sans answered with a shrug. "nothin' big. wanna hotcat?"

"A hotcat?" Frisk echoed.

"yeah. a hotcat," Sans answered.

"Is that like a hotdog?" the young human prompted.

"…sure. 30g." The small skeleton shrugged and held out a hand. "Want one or not?"

"Should we?" Frisk prompted. "I've never had a hotcat before!"

"We don't have very much in the way of g, though," Flowey pointed out.

Frisk dug through their pocket. "No. No, when I dug you out of the river, I found some coins. So…" they pulled out a handful and started counting. "…28, 29, 30. 30! Here you go!" Frisk dropped the coin in Sans' hand. They received a hotcat in return. It looked like a hotdog, but with cat ears.

"here's your hotcat."

"Aw! It's so cute! Look, Flowey!" They held up the food item for Flowey to inspect.

Flowey nodded. "Yeah. Cute. Let's go."

"Okay." Frisk gently put away the hotcat. "Thanks, Sans!"

Sans' smirk widened. "hey, kid. i, uh, just remembered somethin'. i have some 'dogs if you want them."

Frisk brightened. "Really? Thanks! How much?"

"eh… 30g."

Flowey cut in, "Sorry. We don't have it. Guess we'll have to get going."

Frisk pouted. "Sure, we do!"

"Don't pay him!" Flowey growled. "You'll only encourage him!"

"To do what?" Frisk prompted. "Sell hotdogs?"

"Yes," Flowey agreed.

"Where I lived, selling food was an acceptable position," Frisk informed him. "Besides, it's tradition to encourage people selling food like hotdogs, pizza, ice cream, popcorn, and that stuff."

"Ice cream?" Flowey prompted.

"Yeah, ice cream. You know, the ice cream man? He passes out ice cream and snow cones and stuff?" Frisk prompted.

"I never heard of it…?"

Frisk hesitated. "You know… that explains a lot, actually. When we get to the surface, I'm taking you straight to the ice cream shop! …what were we doing?"

"you were buyin' a 'dog," Sans piped up.

"Oh! Right!" Frisk handed Sans the amount needed.

"enjoy your 'dog, kid. wait. looks like your hands are full. …guess i'll just put it on your head." Sans set the hotdog on Frisk's head. Frisk looked up and chuckled.

"Can I get another?"

"yeah, sure. it's on the house. what i mean by that, is it's on you." Sans set the hotdog on top of the first one on Frisk's head.

Flowey piped up, "We have room in our bag, you know," Flowey pointed out.

Sans set another hotdog on their head, before Frisk had asked. "nah, really? oh well."

Frisk giggled. "Oh! Another!"

"Frisk…" Flowey groaned. "You're going to fall and hurt yourself!"

Sans lifted another hotdog with telekinesis to land on their head. "there ya go."

"Another!"

"heh. another." Sans stacked another hotdog on their head. Eventually, it got to the point where there were thirty hot dogs on their head. "now, kid, i'll be _frank_ with you. as much as i love putting hotdogs on your head, thirty is just an excessive number. twenty-nine? now that's an acceptable number. but thirty? no."

Frisk giggled and patted the hot dog stack on their head. "Wow! That's so cool!"

"yeah. now, how are you going to get them down?" the skeleton prompted.

Frisk's smile slowly left them. Sans snickered. Flowey glowered at him and turned to Frisk. "You do realize you had this coming, right? Let's see if we can just knock a few off…"

Sans drawled, "i would try not to let them all hit the ground. it's bad for business for my food to be on the ground, you know." His eyes flashed. "bad for business is bad for the offender." Frisk's eyes grew round in terror. Flowey looked up at the stack of hotdogs on their head. Sans burst into laughter. "god, kid! i'm teasin' you. you really get worked up, don't you?"

Flowey hissed at him and turned forward. "Goodbye, trashbag." He whacked the stack of hotdogs on Frisk's head. They managed to catch an armful, though only a few more could fit in their bag.

"See ya around!"

"see ya."


	26. Hotland- Cobwebs

Chapter Three

 _Cobwebs_

Frisk bounded down the trail. It was slightly thicker than the ones they usually traveled, but not by much. Frisk opened their mouth to talk but instead gasped in surprise and stopped. A rope in a spiral pattern with shoes and fire for a head appeared before them. Pyrope bounded toward them!

" _Pyrope- Attack 29, Defense 14. HP 120. This monster is never hot enough."_

"Hot enough for ya?" Pyrope cackled. A tall white barrier followed by many others slid toward them. A ball of orange wall made to look like fire cut it in half.

"How- is this even possible?" Flowey yelped.

Frisk set their gaze. "I'm jumping through it."

"WHAT?!"

Frisk tensed and leaped. The orange attack failed to injure them. Flowey stopped screaming and looked about in surprise as Frisk jumped through each hole. Orange was a very sharp contrast to white so they could see it clearly enough to jump through it. The attacks stopped. Pyrope bounced up and down.

"What can we do?" Flowey inquired. "We don't have any fire!"

Frisk hesitated and thought for a moment. "Hmm…" They glanced behind them. Vulkin was standing about. The hot dog was gone. "Vulkin! Pyrope needs your healing fire!"

Vulkin perked up and strolled toward them. "Healing!" it cooed. Fire erupted from its crater, spattering Pyrope in flaming lava. The creature cackled in glee and spun around under the lava like a child in the rain.

Frisk ducked their head and darted away from the two monsters. They stumbled across a diverging path. The only thing it led to was an island holding an apron. "Oh! What's this?"

"An apron," Flowey replied.

" _Stained Apron. Defense 11. Heals 1 HP every other turn."_

"Oh!" Frisk gasped. "It heals me!" They tied the strap around their neck and behind their waist. Frisk giggled and spun around in a circle. "What do you think?" They took off the backpack and held Flowey out at arm's length.

"It looks pretty good!" Flowey complimented. "And it's useful. But we should keep going. You're doing very well."

Frisk beamed and trotted down the path. This led to a conveyor belt and three buttons. A forcefield was on the other side. Flowey thought for a moment. "Hmm… I think we need to press all three buttons."

"Okay! Let's do it!" They jumped onto the conveyor belt. Flowey tapped all three buttons so that Frisk wasn't in danger of falling off. The forcefield died. Unfortunately, when they got to the next area, they were stopped. Nothing physically blocked their way. They were just presented with a very complex arrangement of small islands filled with vents. Some had only one vent while two had four vents. All but the one at the top and the vents at the very button had a button in the center of their island. When a button was pressed, the vent direction was switched.

It took them a while to complete.

Eventually, the two got to the other side. By the time the puzzle was complete, the young human and flower companion had dried off almost completely.

A little golden sparkle was near the trail leading away from the puzzle. A thick wall bordered it with a tiny little hole in it. On a table was a safe that held a little slice of cheese.

" _Knowing that one day the mouse will find a way to hack into the computerized safe and get the cheese, it fills you with determination."_

"Well, little mouse, I hope that you get that cheese!" Frisk continued on.

"What is it with mice and cheese around the underground?" Flowey thought aloud.

Frisk shrugged. "There are mice everywhere, I suppose."

"Hey! You! Stop!" Frisk jumped and spun around. Two guards in heavy armor approached them. Those were the two guards near the elevator!

The rabbit stated, "We've received an anonymous tip about a human in a striped shirt. And so we… were going to… escort you to someplace safe." His eyes narrowed. The one in the spiked helmet glanced at the bunny. "Huh? Yeah, they do match that description… actually, are you the human?"

Frisk nodded, "I am a human and I do wear a striped shirt. So probably yes."

"Damn. Well, we're probably going to have to kill you, now."

Frisk's soul appeared before their body. Frisk took out their burnt pan.

" _Royal Guard 01- Attack 30, Defense 20. HP 150. Royal Guard member with shining, polished armor."_

" _Royal Guard 02- Attack 30, Defense 20. HP 150. Royal Guard member with stuffy armor."_

"Team attack!" The bunny guard announced.

"Yeah," the quiet, dragon guard agreed.

With Flowey's aid, Frisk jumped about to dodge the white stars that attacked. Flowey's vines wrapped about their hand and deflected one of them.

Frisk glanced between the two. The bunny glanced at his friend almost constantly. They recognized that look. Dogerressa gave Dogamy that same look when they battled Frisk. They hesitated and, with a bright smile, washed off a piece of the quiet guard's armor. Its cooling dirt began to wash away.

"Getting… warmer…" the dragon guard huffed.

"Give us your soul already!" the bunny guard demanded. Frisk and Flowey dodged the stars again. This time, the quiet one looked a bit more uncomfortable. Sweat helped wash away more the dirt.

"Can't… take it… any longer. Getting… too… hot!" The dragon guard took off the chest plate of his armor. Flowey stared at him, and then Frisk, in confusion. The bunny guard started to look nervous.

Frisk leaned toward the bunny guard and got on their tip-toes. "You should be honest with your feelings."

"Wh-what?" The bunny asked. This time, when they attacked, the bunny guard's attacks twirled in odd directions.

Frisk more easily dodged these attacks as it was really only one guard attacking.

Finally, the bunny guard lowered his weapon. "D-dude. I can't- I can't take this anymore! 02. I… I really like you, man. I mean… more than just partners. The way you fight… the way you talk… the way you seem to read my mind when we fight. I love doing team attacks with you. I love standing here… with you. 02… I want to stay like this forever." The second royal guard stared at him for a few moments. The bunny guard stammered, "Uh- uh- I mean, uh… just, uh kidding, right? Yeah! I was just–"

"01."

"Yeah?"

"Do you… want to get some Starfaits… after this?"

"Yeah, dude! Of course!"

The guards gazed at each other happily.

Frisk took a step back. "I won't bother you any longer."

"Oh, yeah! Well, bye little human!" The first guard waved. The second guard picked up the heated armor and walked with the bunny guard.

"How'd you know they'd do that?" Flowey prompted.

"They… well, the bunny guard, 01, looked really happy with him," Frisk replied. "And he looked more to 02 than us- almost like Dogerressa and Dogamy. So, I put two-and-two together."

"You are good with people."

"Thanks!"

Soon enough, Frisk and Flowey's trail led into yet another dark place. Rather, it was a normal trail until something blinked above them and removed all light.

 _Briiing. Bri-_ "Hello? This is Frisk."

"Frisk. The lights are off," Dr. Alphys stated. "I'm turning them on."

The lights turned on. Cameras glinted about the walls and ceiling. Frisk squeaked, "Dr. Alphys?"

"…" _Click._

"Oh no." Flowey shut his eyes. Mettaton, somewhere close by, was sitting in an office. His voice flowed through a receiver. "OH YES! GOOD EVENING BEAUTIES AND GENTLE BEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS! AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDANT IS OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE! BRAVE CORRESPONDANT! PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NOTEWORTHY TO REPORT!"

Frisk looked about. "Um…?"

"There's a basketball, a dog, a present, a cup of water, a script, and a video game. …try the video game. People love games, right? It's in the right corner, near the edge," Flowey instructed.

Frisk walked forward. Eventually, they found the black disk case. Upon picking it up, they were rewarded with Mettaton's voice. "OH! THIS VIDEO GAME YOU'VE FOUND… IT'S DYNAMITE! THOUGH I DON'T MAKE AN APPEARANCE UNTIL THREE-FOURTHS IN. BUT THAT'S ALRIGHT! I COME IN AT THE RIGHT MOMENT, LIKE A HEAVEN-SENT CREATURE IN A TERRIBLE CRISIS! REPORT IT?"

Frisk nodded. "Er- yes."

"ATTENTION, VIEWERS! OUR CORRESPONDENT HAS FOUND… A VIDEO GAME!" Mettaton announced. Frisk narrowed their eyes. Was that sarcasm in his voice? Could robots be sarcastic? "THIS ACTION PACKED GAME IS SURE TO BLOW YOU AWAY! STRANGE ENEMIES. STRANGE ALLIES. ATTRACTIVE ROBOTS! FEATURING UP TO SIX ARBITRARY DIALOGUE CHOICES AT ONCE! CORRESPONDENT! LET'S LOOK INSIDE THE CASE!"

Frisk opened it. It was literally dynamite. Frisk could only stare at it in disbelief.

"THOSE RED CYLINDERS WITH BURNING FUSES… OH NO! THIS GAME REALLY IS DYNAMITE! I GUESS THEY WERE RIGHT! VIDEO GAMES DO CAUSE VIOLENCE! OR, AT LEAST, THIS ONE'S ABOUT TO. BUT DON'T GET TOO EXCITED. YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEE THE FULL PICTURE!"

Mettaton flew in. Suddenly, fuses appeared out of every item in the area.

"OH MY! IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT DOG'S A BOMB!" The dog's tail burst into flames. "THAT BASKETBALL'S A BOMB!" A fuse popped out of the top of it. "THAT PRESENT IS A BOMB! THAT SCRIPT IS A BOMB! THAT GLASS OF WATER IS EVEN A BOMB! HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN?! BRAVE CORRESPONDENT! IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL OF THE BOMBS WITHIN TWO MINUTES, THIS LARGE BOMB WILL GO OFF AND YOU WON'T BE REPORTING LIVE ANY LONGER!" The large bomb commented upon was near the wall at the very northern end of the area. It indeed was large, being much bigger than Frisk. "HOW HORRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! WELL, GOOD LUCK!" Mettaton vanished again.

 _Briii-_ "Hello? This is Frisk."

Dr. Alphys spoke, "I installed a bomb defuser on your phone. Point it at the bomb and press the button at the right time." _Click._

Frisk raced about the room. The dog was very easily subdued. All they had to do was hold out one finger and command: "Sit!" Frisk pointed their phone at the dog and pressed a button labeled 'defuse' on the back. The basketball, which bounced about the area, wasn't as easy to catch. Even when they pounced on it and entered the fight, it struggled about them. The script and present weren't too difficult. The game stayed relatively easy. The hardest was the water. The reason for this wasn't because it was difficult to diffuse. It was difficult to catch. Finally, by the twenty second mark, Flowey batted it out of the air.

"WELL DONE, DARLING!" Mettaton yelled as the water-bomb was diffused. "YOU'VE DIFFUSED ALL OF THE BOMBS. NOW, INSTEAD OF GOING OFF IN TWO MINUTES, IT'LL GO OFF IN TWO _SECONDS!_ " Mettaton zipped up higher in the air, cackling and watching the terrified human and flower. Frisk nearly put their hands over their eyes. However, they stopped themselves. They straightened themselves out and glared straight up at Mettaton, lips curled back and nose wrinkled in a determined look of defiance. Mettaton stopped cackling. "OH! NOT SO WIMPY AFTER ALL, BRAVE CORRESPONDENT?"

"If I die now, Mettaton, I'm not going down crying!" Frisk stated.

Flowey peeked his head out of the backpack. "Why didn't it go off?"

Mettaton waved his hand. "OH, THE DRAMA! THE ACTION! WE CAN'T HAVE OUR CORRESPONDENT DYING, RIGHT WHEN THEY SHOW THEIR BRAVEST HEART! NO! THE SHOW MUST GO ON! TUNE IN NEXT TIME, MY WONDERFUL VIEWERS, FOR MORE ACTION! MORE DRAMA! MORE SUSPENCE! TOODLES!" The robot turned and flew off.

Flowey looked at Frisk. "You… you really stood up to him like that?"

Frisk turned back to Flowey with a smile. "Of course. It's good to be nice. But being nice doesn't equal being wimpy. You have to stand up for yourself sometimes, even if the situation looks bad. Well, let's go. I wonder what we have next."

Their very long trail ended in the elevator "L-2". This led to the third, and last, left elevator. Frisk and Flowey both looked about in interest. Cogs and smooth walls surrounded them. They passed up a spider bakesale was led not by a spider, but a spider humanoid bigger than Frisk. Although they attempted to stop, the price of 9999g per donut and per cider stopped them.

This time, they came to another maze of vents. Luckily, they didn't have to press any buttons. All they needed to do was go to the north and south rooms, which both held the shooter puzzles. Upon going north, Flowey stated, "Alright. Activate the game. Now, go left. No, wait, right! Okay, up. Down? No, no. Try going left." After a very frustrating minute or so, they were able to shoot down the opposing ship. After crossing the maze again, they got to a much easier puzzle. "Okay. Left. Down. Left. Left. Up. Right. Up. Right. Left. Left. Right. Now go up. Right. There! Shoot! Oh, thank God that was quick. Let's get a move on!"

The very next room was the right. So, they went there. The door opened, reveal a black and purple accented room. A yellow glimmer was just before the door.

" _The smell of cobwebs permeates the vicinity. It fills you with determination."_

Flowey and Frisk entered the door on their right.

Spiderwebs filled the room. Many spiders hung from the ceiling. Upon walking under one, it giggled, "Ahuhuhuhuhu… did you hear what they just said?" It retreated.

This prompted the second to continue, "They said a human in a striped shirt will come through." It, too, climbed up.

The third continued, "I hear they hate spiders."

Frisk had to step through cobwebs to move any further.

"I hear they love to stomp on them."

As they moved, cobwebs clung more insistently. Some even grew up to attach to them.

"I heard that they liked to tear their legs off."

Finally, Frisk's movements slowed until the cobwebs stopped their ability to struggle entirely. Flowey attempted to stretch away from the cobwebs but ended up getting tangled as well.

"I heard…" Spiders crept down from all sides. The spider-humanoid monster was lifted down on a cobweb. "…that they're awfully stingy with their money. Ahuhuhuhuhu… you think your taste is too refined for our pastries, don't you, dearie? Ahuhuhuhu… I disagree with that notion. I think your taste… is exactly what this next batch needs!" Muffet giggled and stepped on the cobweb filled area Frisk and Flowey were trapped within. Frisk's soul appeared before them.

" _Muffet- Attack 38.8, Defense 18.8. HP 1250. If she invites you to her parlor, excuse yourself."_

"Don't look so blue, dearie~" Muffet raised two hands and tipped the teapots she held. On two hands, she held knives. Two held teapots. One held a gun and the other a teacup. Purple washed over the cobwebs beneath them. The purple liquid immediately spread through out the spider web and onto Frisk. Their soul turned purple. They were completely trapped in the web.

"Why are you struggling? You should be proud…" Spiders climbed the webs around them. Frisk managed to squirm about the web to avoid the spiders.

"Proud you'll make a delicious cake!~" A spider next to Muffet held up a sign with a spider on it.

Spiders climbed about them. When one hit Frisk, it bit into them. Their soul cracked. Frisk recoiled with a hiss of pain. Once the spiders stop charging at them, Frisk continued to struggle. "Let us go, please!"

"Let you go? Oh no, dearie~!" The spider next to Muffet held up a picture of a spider and a donut. "Your soul is going to make every spider very happy." This time, spiders attack them, yes. But donuts were flung at them as well! Well, they could either be donuts or donut-shaped circles thrown at them.

The spider held up a picture of a cupcake. "Oh, how rude of me. I almost forgot to introduce you to my pet~! It's breakfast time isn't it? Have fun you two~!" The spider web began to shake violently and fall down. Frisk and Flowey were nearly thrown from the place they hung. Although that would have been fine thirty seconds ago, now it was not. A great monster in the shape of a cake roared at them, baring giant sharp teeth. It climbed up on the web too small for it with eight, sharp legs. Frisk scrambled to climb up the web. Unfortunately, climbing wasn't their strong suit. It was made harder as different spiders raced down to meet the cupcake monster and attempt to throw them off. Flowey's vines wrapped about Frisk and the web to keep them stabilized as they climbed.

Finally, the cupcake monster stopped tearing the web down and sat down. The spider beside Muffet held a sign with a spider and a donut on it. "The person who told us about you…" Spiders raced around them along with donuts. The donuts were not soft. Upon hitting Frisk, the donuts cracked their soul further.

"…they offered us a lot for your soul." The spider held up a sign with a spider on it. This time, only spiders raced about the web. Flowey made sure that Frisk stayed stabilized and dodged the incoming attacks.

"They had such a sweet smile and… ahuhu~" The spider held up a sign with a spider and a donut on it. The attack came true; indeed spiders and donuts attacked them. However, at the end, a croissant whipped through the air and came back like a boomerang.

"It's strange, but I swear I saw them in the shadows… changing shape?" The spider held up a sign with a croissant on it. This attack was easier, yet slightly more difficult. The croissants were slow, but came back. So, Frisk had to constantly change their place to avoid getting hit.

The spider held up a sign with a cupcake on it. "Oh, it's lunch time isn't it? And I forgot to feed my pet~!" The web shuttered and the cupcake monster attacked again. Spiders raced down the trembling web to join the cupcake.

"That is the shortest morning I've ever had," Flowey stated.

Once the cupcake was sitting on the ground, quite complacent, Muffet went on "With that money, the spider clans can finally be reunited." The spider held up a sign with a spider on it. The spiders that attacked next were somehow much faster and much harder to dodge.

Once the attack ended, the spider held up a sign with two donuts on it. Muffet went on, "You haven't heard? Spiders have been trapped in the Ruins for generations!" Donuts were flung at them two at a time.

Once the attack was over, and Frisk was wheezing for breath, Muffet went on, "And even if the spiders could fit under the door, Snowdin's fatal cold would kill them!" The small spider held up a sign with two croissants on it. Frisk sighed in relief at the easier attack and dodged this with ease. They hardly even needed Flowey's help for that one.

"But with the money from your soul, we'll afford a heated limo~!" The spider held up a sign with two spiders. Two spiders; that was too many spiders. Those that could catch Frisk bit them. Their soul cracked further.

"And with all the leftovers…? We could have a vacation~! Or even build a spider baseball field!" The spider held up a sign with a spider, a donut, and a croissant on it. Frisk took a deep breath and pulled out the bag Papyrus had given them. It was already cool. So, the healing effects of the spaghetti was limited. They ate part of it. It healed most of the cracks in their soul.

"But enough of that. It's time for dinner, isn't it? Ahuhuhu~!" The spider held up a sign with a cupcake on it. Flowey sighed in exasperation.

The web shuttered as the cupcake grabbed the web again. Frisk yelped and bounced from place to place and scrambled to keep going higher. Every once in a while, Flowey would move them out of the way or drag them up. Eventually, the cupcake got bored again and lay down.

"You're still alive? Ahuhuhu~! Oh, my pet, it looks like it's time for desert~!" A spider raced up to Muffet with a piece of paper. She sheathed a dagger and picked up the paper. "Huh? A telegram from the Ruins? Oh! You don't hate spiders! You've treated our cousins well. Oh my. I thought you were someone who hated spiders. Never mind, then. You're free to go~! If you want, you can come back any time and I'll wrap you up so you play with my pet again- free of charge! Ahuhuhu~ Just kidding! You can go, now." The spider webs fell away from Frisk and Flowey.

"Thank you!" Frisk waved and left.

Frisk, limping as they were trying to bring feeling back into their legs, left the spider's den and appeared in a purple-bricked hallway. Flowey shook some clinging cobwebs away. "Let's agree to never do that again."

Frisk nodded. "Agreed."


	27. Hotland- Maze

Chapter Four

 _Maze_

Purple bricks and purple floor was soon replaced with dark blue bricks and dark blue floor. A small castle rose up to their left with a tall staircase leading down from the first tower to the ground in which Frisk stood upon.

"OH? THAT HUMAN…" Their attention was turned upward. Mettaton, in a pretty blue dress, peeked out from behind a corner. "COULD IT BE? MY ONE TRUE LOVE?" Mettaton lifted up the hem of his dress and descended from the tower. Upon approaching the human, he began to sing and swirl around the little place. Forcefields blocked any true escape. _"Oh my love. Please run away. Monster king… forbids your stay. Humans must… live far apart. Even if it breaks my heart. They'll put you in the dungeon. It'll suck and then you'll die a lot. Really sad… you're gunna die… cry, cry, cry… so sad it's happening."_ He set his hand on his chest where his heart could be and then waved his hand to Frisk and Flowey in a dramatic manner. Behind them, a star shot across the starry night that was projected on the wall. "SO SAD. SO SAD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO THE DUNGEON. WELL, TOODLES!" He whipped out a little rectangular device and pressed a button. The floor underneath Flowey and Frisk vanished.

The two yelled in fright as they were dumped onto the hard ground below. Frisk shook their hand and stood up. Mettaton lowered himself to the ground. "OH NO. WHATEVER SHALL I DO?" Mettaton asked with a melodramatic flick of his hand on his head. "MY LOVE HAS BEEN CAST AWAY INTO THE DUNGEON. A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY THAT MY PARAMOUR WILL SURELY PERISH!" They looked to the right where the puzzle lay.

"The colored tile maze?" Flowey hissed in shock. He narrowed his eyes and began mapping it out.

"O, HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE! EACH COLOR TILE HAS ITS OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE SOUNDS A NOISE THAT ATTRACTS A MONSTER YOU HAVE TO FIGHT! RED TILES WILL… ACTUALLY, HAVEN'T WE SEEN THIS PUZZLE BEFORE?" Mettaton paused for a moment. "YES WE HAVE! YOU REMEMBER THE RULES, RIGHT? GREAT… THEN I WON'T WASTE MY TIME REPEATING THEM! OH, AND IF YOU DON'T COMPLETE THIS PUZZLE IN 30 SECONDS, YOU'LL BE BURNED TO DEATH BY THIS FIRE WALL!"

Frisk looked back. A wall of fire appeared behind them.

Mettaton laughed, "OH NO! I'M SO RAKED WITH GRIEF THAT I CANNOT STOP LAUGHING! GOOD LUCK, DARLING!" A timer dropped from floor of the area from which they had been ejected.

"Okay. I got it. Follow my lead!" Flowey hissed. "Once he says go… go!" Mettaton sang in the background. Neither Frisk nor Flowey payed attention to him. Frisk landed on the first tile- pink. "Okay, up one. Go right three more. Down one. Through the water. Down one, right six. Up three, follow the water. Down two more. Right two more. Up one, right three. Right one. Down one, into the water. Right two more. Up two more, right one, down three. Right three. Up three. Ow! Okay, down three. Right three. Up two more, right four- right into water. Down three. Now follow the green tiles." Frisk walked as fast as they could without tripping. Each tile made a noise, though from all the noise around them, Frisk could not detect what it was.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Mettaton cried. "YOU MADE IT THROUGH THE PUZZLE! AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, THE FLAMES WILL BE DEACTIVATED!" The flames died immediately. "NO MORE FIRE! BUT IT'S AS THE PHRASE GOES: 'OUT OF FIRE AND INTO THE FRYING PAN.' SINCE YOU COMPLETED THE PUZZLE, I DEACTIVATED THE FLAMES. BUT YOU STEPPED ON GREEN TILES. NOW YOU'LL HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER. AND THAT MONSTER IS ME!" Mettaton descended from the air and hit the ground in front of them. Mettaton attacks!

Frisk's cracked soul appeared before them. "Um… I don't know about this Flowey."

" _Mettaton- Attack 30, Defense 999. HP ? His metal body still renders him invulnerable to attack."_

"THIS IS IT, DARLING! TIME TO SAY GOODBYE!" Mettaton trilled. _Briiing!_ "IS THAT YOUR PHONE, DARLING? YOU BETTER ANSWER IT!"

Frisk picked up their phone. Dr. Alphys' voice came through the receiver. "He's tricking you. There's one last thing I installed- a yellow monster heart shaped button. Press it." _Click._

Frisk pressed the upside down yellow heart on the back of their phone. At first, nothing happened. Mettaton cackled, "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT, SWEET-HEART?" Then, it changed. Their cracked heart soul rotated so that it was upside down. It flashed in gold light. Frisk touched their hand to it. A tiny yellow bullet shot from the bottom of their heart to Mettaton.

Mettaton shuttered. "OH. OOOOOOOOH! OH NO! YOU'VE DEFEATED ME!" Mettaton waved his hands in a grand manner. "OH NO! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO ME! YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT!" Mettaton lowered his hands and looked to the ground. The cameras ticked off. Mettaton straightened up and flew away. "WELL, TOODLES!"

Flowey stared at him as he left. "…that is literally the strangest fight I've ever been in."

Frisk's soul righted itself, turned red, and absorbed back into their body. "Yes. You have that right. Oh! Stairs!" They ran to the stairs across from the puzzle and climbed them. There, they ended up on a platform that led back to Muffet's web. Frisk turned and strolled down to the right.

"Er, there are stairs up there," Flowey pointed out.

"Yeah," Frisk agreed. "But what is- oh! Just an elevator. See, Flowey? If we ever need to go back, we can just use the elevator!"

Flowey nodded. "Ok, okay. I admit: that's a good one. Now let's go see what's up those stairs. Something good, I hope."

Frisk ascended the stairs. Before them was a street of blue tile with a blue restaurant before them. Sans leaned on the wall leading to the entrance. When his dark eyes found Frisk, he waved and stood up straight. "hey, kid!"

Frisk perked up and approached the small skeleton. "Hello!"

"you've been busy, huh?" Sans prompted. "funny how you solved that puzzle so quick. well, you only had thirty seconds. so, you're going to the core, right? let's have a bit of dinner."

"Oh. Sure!"

"good to hear. hey, come with me. i have a shortcut." Sans turned and trotted around the back of the building. Frisk perked up and followed him. Flowey narrowed his eyes. They were very soon inside the fancy restaurant and at their table. "so. here we are. nearly at the end. you must really want to go home, huh? i know the feeling, kid. sometimes, it's better to take what's given to you," Sans pointed out.

"Of course! I'm very grateful of what has been given to me."

Sans huffed, though his smile didn't waver. Did his smile ever change? "down here… well, you've got nice food. good puzzles. nice adventures. you've even gotten yourself a friend or two. so, why do you persist? you're dead if you enter that kingdom, kid. at least with my boss and his boss, heh, you have a chance. albeit an odd chance with an odd life living with the captain of the guard or her most trusted. ah, forget it. i, ah, believe you won't die too quick. maybe even, ah, make it to the end." He shut his eyes and chuckled. "but, ah, i should tell you something. what with you being honest an' all. well, i'm a sentry in snowdin, as you know. the ruins are a closed off place. so i naturally assume its empty, right? well… one day, i get to practicing some knock-knock jokes on that door since the boss nearly killed me for botherin' him at home. so i knocking 'em out as usual. then, one time, i knocked on the door and a voice answered. 'who's there?' so i answered 'dishes'. 'dishes who?' 'dishes a bad joke.' for some reason, she just burst into laughter."

Frisk smiled and laughed. Sans smirked. "yeah. like that. she had the greatest sense of humor. she even cracked her own jokes. i haven't met a person like her in a long time. well, one day, she wasn't laughin' too much. in fact, she wasn't laughin' at all. now, i'm pretty used to it. not too many laugh or take jokes. for some reason, though, it felt weird not hearin' her laugh. so i asked what was botherin' her. there was someone there, she said. a kid and a little trickster. kid was weak- blind, weak, not physically capable of defense. but they had a trickster, a little weed. she was afraid the little flower would lead them astray. So, she told me that if a human kid left the ruins with a small golden flower… well… kid, if she hadn't said that…" The light vanished from Sans' eyes. "Y o u ' d."

Frisk's eyes grew round in shock. Flowey hid in Frisk's backpack. The skeleton chuckled. The scarlet circles of light appeared in his eyes again. "so serious, eh? suffice to say, you aren't dead. neither is your little flower. heh. well, see you later. try not to die too quickly, okay?" With that, the skeleton strolled away. He vanished into thin air.

Flowey poked his head out of their backpack. "H-he's gone? Okay. I don't know if I believe him."

Frisk shook their head. "No. I trust him. He really didn't kill us, or even try to, right?"

Flowey sighed. "If you say so. Well… let's see if we can get a move on."

Frisk walked around the table and out of the small restaurant. They ended up in a hotel with a water fountain in the shape of Mettaton in the center. A golden sparkle was nearby.

" _Knowing that you will soon be entering the Core and ending your journey, it fills you with determination."_

A sphynx, dragon, and an odd hooded ghost crowded around the elevator. "It isn't working!" "Ugh. When are they going to fix it?" "I need to get home!"

Frisk passed them up and walked out of the door at the end. It led onto a dazzling porch where a wooden bridge connected it to the entrance to the Core. Frisk took a deep breath. "Ready, Flowey?"

"I-I hope so."

"Well good! It's healthy to be a bit afraid. But I won't let anything happen to you," Frisk assured him and walked down the wooden bridge which faded into an electronic one. The shadows flitted out of sight. The room they entered had an elevator that was not working. Two paths branched out- one going to the left and up and one going to the right and up. The right side room ended in a pit. Upon entering the left side, they got a long hallway.

Frisk's soul pattered and glowed before them. Ahead of them was a small jester with two fiery orbs floating beside it. Madjick pops out of his hat!

" _Madjick- Attack 29, Defense 24. HP 190. This trickster magician speaks only in magic words."_

"Abra cadabra!" One of its orbs flashed just above Frisk. Little crosses shot out of it. Frisk jumped back. The orb materialized behind them. After a few more tries, the orb went back to Madjick.

Frisk attempted to talk, but was cut off by rapid muttering as Madjick ignored them. Frisk closed their mouth. Satisfied, the magician gave them a smug smirk. Frisk shook their head, now thoroughly dizzy. "Alakazam!" The magician cried. The corner orb attacked. Frisk commanded themselves to move forward to get out of range, but somehow stumbled back- right into one of the crosses.

"What are you doing?" Flowey hissed. One of his vines wrapped around their ankle to keep them from falling into another attack.

"I'm d-dizzy!" Frisk put a hand to their head. "What just happened?"

Flowey looked up at Madjick. The magician was no longer paying attention to them. "Well, bye!" Flowey got a long, cool stare from the magician before it zipped away. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Let me sit down." Frisk knelt, patted the ground, and then sat down. The floor was quite hard as it was made of metal and it radiated with energy. Soon enough, the dizziness went away. "Whatever that guy did, it was effective." Frisk chuckled and got up.

"Yeah. Let's hope we don't run into _him_ again," the flower agreed.

"No kidding!" Frisk chuckled.


	28. Hotland- Hotel Underground

Chapter Five

 _Hotel Underground_

Flowey look about. "What's next?"

"Hopefully not more dizzy-magic." Frisk walked down the corridor. A forcefield separated the little room they entered from the hallway to the right. A little button was on the wall. When Frisk clicked it, three lasers raced from the other side of the glass-floor hallway. All three came in a colored order- blue, blue, orange. Frisk stood stock-still as the first two passed over them and then trotted through the third. "Easy!" Frisk chirruped.

"Please don't jinx us," Flowey groaned and set his head on their shoulder.

"I'll try not to." Upon entering another hall, they encountered a crossroads. The one that ended up going north headed to a room. So, Frisk took that one. As soon as they entered the room, their soul appeared before them. A large, metal-clad figure knelt before them, one hand on her giant, intricate spear and the other on her knee. Two eyes looked back and forth on her chest armor. Just below was a beak. Was her armor alive? Knight Knight blocks the way!

" _Knight Knight- Attack 36, Defense 36. HP 2030. This megaton mercenary wields a morning star."_

"Good night." The mercenary stamped her morningstar. A white moon appeared before Frisk. Small fists, or stars perhaps, rained from the sky. Flowey yelped instructions to Frisk. When they didn't act fast enough, Flowey would snap his vines around their feet and move them himself. When the attack ended, Flowey let go of Frisk.

Frisk brushed themselves off and looked up at the armored mercenary. Their head was bowed and movements slow. They seemed sleepy… Frisk took a deep breath and began to sing Shyren's song.

The mercenary bowed her head further. "Quiet." The moon appeared again as did the raining attack. Flowey still had to aid Frisk. When he did, neither of them got hurt.

Frisk turned to Knight Knight again and continued singing the sweet, if sad, song. Knight Knight stopped moving altogether. Her murmurs turned into quiet snores. Frisk quietly stepped away.

They backed off and went to the right. This time, they encountered a long, thin trail alive with lasers. Although the ones that were close were fine–they were simply moving blue lasers and stationary orange ones–they changed later on until it was one big wall of blue lasers. Frisk huffed, "How are we supposed to get through _that?"_

 _Briiiing. Brii-_ "Hello? This is Frisk."

Dr. Alphys stated, "This puzzle is impossible. As I cannot turn off the lasers, I will be turning off power to this section. When the lasers turn off, move as quickly as you can to the other side. The power turns itself back on after a short period of time for safety reasons. If you are not at the other side by the time the lasers turn on, stop and wait for me to turn them back off." _Click._

The lasers, and lights, turned off. Frisk darted across. The lights flickered, which caused them to stop. The blue lasers turned on again. However, they didn't hurt Frisk as they were standing still. The power turned off. Frisk kept going and stopped only when the power turned itself back on. The power had to turn once more before Frisk made it to the other side unscathed. "Yay! Got through that no problem." Frisk puffed out their chest. "I'm glad Dr. Alphys is helping us. She seems really smart."

Flowey didn't comment.

Then, they entered a maze of hallways. A yellow glimmer sparkled before them. Frisk smiled and touched it.

" _The smell of ozone permeates the vicinity. You are filled with determination."_

"Well this is nice," Flowey sighed. "Let's try going straight through, first. Look down the corridors as you go to see if you can find anything useful."

"You got it, Flowey!" Frisk trotted down the corridor. The hallways were empty for the most part. At the very end, the hallway ended. A thin metal pathway led to the right. Upon moving a few feet through it, they were interrupted. Froggit jumped onto the path before them and Whimsum fluttered forth. No. No, they were not Whimsum and Froggit. Final Froggit was spikier and larger. His eyes train on theirs with a focus that Froggit could not possibly possess. Whimsalot was dressed in a suit of armor with a double-ended spear in their hand.

" _Whimsalot- Attack 34, Defense 12. HP 95. They finally stopped worrying."_

" _Final Froggit- Attack 30, Defense 24. HP 100. It's future looks brighter and brighter."_

Whimsalot shuttered and shimmered. Final Froggit croaked. Butterflies fluttered forth. Flies swooped down upon them. Flowey took direct control of Frisk's movement. Even then, flies and butterflies still cracked their soul.

Frisk, wheezing, fell to their knees. "Please, Whimsalot. Show to me mercy I tried showing you."

Whimsalot put a hand to their mouth. "Don't give up, human!" Butterflies fluttered around them as well as flies. However, a few butterflies were green. Their fingers brushed against them. A few cracks began to heal in Frisk's soul.

Frisk clambered unsteadily to their feet. Whimsalot lowered their spear and fluttered off. Final Froggit croaked again and lunged at them. Frisk bounded out of the way every time the creature charged at them. Finally, the creature stopped before them, ending its attack. Frisk thought for a moment and then whispered, "Okay, follow me. Produce those pellet things when I open my hands, okay?"

"Er- okay?"

Frisk put their hands in front of them and then waved them before Final Froggit. The creature's eyes grew round as it watched pellets flutter like dust from their hands and vanish. It stared and them and then stood up straight, recognizing that it needs to learn more about this world. Frisk waved at them. Final Froggit hopped off.

Frisk, smiling, continued on their way. Madjick materialized before them with a cackle. Knight Knight emerged from the shadows and knelt before them. Mercenaries emerged from the shadows!

Frisk glanced between the two and began to sing a sweet song. Knight Knight bowed their head. Flowey wrapped his vines around Frisk's ankles to guide their movement again and help them dodge the stars and the crosses that flew at them. Once the attack stopped, Frisk sang again. Knight Knight fell asleep.

Madjick glanced at Knight Knight and then cackled, "Alakazam!" An orb chased the duo, leaving crosses hanging in its path. Once the attack was over, the orb returned to Madjick.

"Madjick, if you would-" Frisk started but was interrupted by the same dizzying spell the first magician had used. Frisk took a sharp breath and attempted to stumble out of the way of incoming attacks. Flowey made it easier, and possible, to stay on the trail. Once the attack was over, Madjick vanished.

Frisk took a deep breath and sat down. "Ugh. I hate that attack."

"Me, too," Flowey agreed. "Oh! But there's another room at the end of this!"

Frisk perked up. "Oh? I wonder what it has!" They got up and trotted forward. They were blocked by, hopefully, the last group of mercenaries. Final Froggit hopped close. Whimsalot fluttered forth. Astigmatism stalked forward. What a nightmare!

" _Astigmatism- Attack 32, Defense 26. HP 120. This relentless bully ALWAYS gets his way."_

"Robbit, Robbit," Final Froggit croaked.

"…Don't pick on me," Astigmatism stated.

"I've made my choice," Whimsalot breathed.

Flowey's eyes grew round as butterflies fluttered in a circle around them, flies dove at them, and empty circles were summoned and shot at them. "Are we in hell?"

Frisk yelped as a fly nearly buzzed through them. "No! …I don't think so, anyway."

When the attacks finally stopped, Frisk stood up straight. They glanced at Final Froggit and opened their hands. Flowey got a few of his pellets ready. Frisk waved their hands and 'summoned' the pellets. The Final Froggit croaked in awe. It hesitated, and then hopped away.

"Take your last look," Astigmatism declared. Whimsalot fluttered its wings more quickly to give off a shimmer around it.

This time, butterflies surrounded them and circles zoomed toward them. No flies attacked.

"Wh-whimsalot," Frisk declared, "Please… we don't need to fight. I-if we fight any longer, we will hurt each other!"

Whimsalot hesitated and then flipped its staff. "Stay strong, human." Butterflies fluttered about them. Two were green. However, Astigmatism wasn't so caring. With a hiss, he summoned a large bubble connected to a smaller bubble which was connected to a slightly smaller bubble and sent it spinning toward them. Frisk waved their hand through the two green butterflies and dodged the large, slow attacks.

Whimsalot fluttered away.

Astigmatism stayed silent and he threw his larger attack at them. Once the attack ended, Flowey prompted, "What do we do with him?"

"He always gets his way," Frisk answered. "He told us not to pick on him. So we say something nice!" They turned to Astigmatism. "You have really cool horns!"

Astigmatism smiled. "Finally! Someone gets it!" Although Astigmatism attacked, the little bubbles were slower and weren't as bad as his previous attacks.

Frisk waved good-bye and trotted off the trail and onto the small room. There was a glowing button. When they flicked it on… nothing happened. Flowey huffed, "Well that was a waste of time!"

"Maybe it's like that spike-puzzle in Snowdin," Frisk commented, "and we just solved it before seeing the instructions."

"Hopefully," Flowey sighed. "Those battles were tough. Let's save before we have to fight them again."

"Good idea."

After wandering around for a while, and touching the save point, they stumbled upon a room with a singular trash can in the center. Flowey look inside of it. "Did someone… drop coin in here?"

Frisk picked up the bag of coin. "Yeah! …it says there's a hundred in here. Oh no! What if someone dropped it?"

"In the trash?" Flowey prompted.

"Well… yes…" the young human answered.

"Let's concentrate on leaving, okay?" Flowey prompted. "We could really use the money, anyway."

"Yeah, okay. I hope no one is missing this," Frisk mumbled and continued wandering around. They didn't have to go far to find a bridge leading to another room. White fog twisted around the ground below with large glowing orbs upon pedestals below it. The room at the very end held a save point, an elevator, and an extremely fancy doorway without a door.

" _Behind this door must be the elevator to the king's elevator. Knowing that you will soon meet the king fills you with determination."_

Flowey piped up, "Fancy door. There must be a few monsters behind there. You're out of healing items. Well, except for that emotionally damaged quiche."

"I'm not eating the abandoned quiche," Frisk stated. "But I do have a hot cat!"

"…yeah. We also have a hundred and twenty g. There was a burger place in the hotel; let's see if the elevator can take us there," Flowey prompted.

"Oh. Right! Food! That's a smart idea." Frisk trotted to the elevator. It had only two buttons: "up" and "down." The up button was dim, but the down button glowed. So, they pressed the glowing white button. The doors closed. Within seconds, they opened again. They were back in the room with a pathway straight to the hotel. Frisk bounded down the trail and to the burger joint right next to the exit.

Upon entering, the cat behind the counter stated, "Welcome to MTT-Brand Burger Emporium, home of the Glamburger. Sparkle up your day™! What can I do for you, little buddy?"

Flowey looked at the menu over the cat's shoulder. "Starfaits are 60g. Glamburgers are 120g. Legendary Heroes are 300 g. The Steak in the Shape of Mettaton's face is 500g. Wow. How much more vain can you get than that? Okay, so we have 127g. You can either get two Starfaits or one Glamburger. The Glamburger heals more, but there's only one of them."

"What are they?" Frisk prompted.

"Eh, the Starfait is an ice cream drink, right? Yeah. And the Glamburger is a hamburger… made of glitter?"

The young human took out their entire pocket of gold, save for seven of the coins, and presented it to the teenage worker. "Two Starfaits, please."

"Thanksy! Have a fabu-ful day!" the cat chirped, took the gold, and gave to Frisk two glittery, rainbow smoothies. Although the cat put on a wide smile, they could see his boredom.

"Er- hello! You look bored."

The cat's ears flicked forward. "Huh? I'm sorry," the cat chuckled, "it's against the rules to talk to customers who haven't bought anything."

"But we bought the Starfaits," Frisk pointed out.

The cat flicked his ear. "What? Why do you keep trying to talk to me? I'll get in trouble if I get chummy with the customers. Sorry… SO, I wanted to be an ACTOR."

Frisk chuckled. "That's so cool! You know, I want to be a dancer."

The cat smirked. "I'm getting on in years, so let me give you some advice, little buddy. You've still got time. Don't live like me. I'm 19 years old and I've already wasted my entire life." He shook his head with a morose frown.

Flowey tipped his head. "Burgerpants?"

"Huh?" Frisk glanced back at him and then looked to the cat. "Is that you name?"

The cat shook his head. "Oh no, little buddy. That's not my name. But it's a real story."

"What's the story?" Frisk gasped, their smile returning in earnest.

Burgerpants shook his head. "So, I went out to the alley to see those two ladies, and uh… you know, see what'd happen next… Then my boss, uh, saw me and asked me what I was doing. I was so startled, the hamburgers in my pockets tumbled out onto the ground. Not wanting to lose face, I scrambled to pick them up! But, as I was leaning over, the weight of the remaining hamburgers…" he sighed, "…caused my pants to fall down. Then the girls laughed at me. Everyone calls me Burgerpants now. But, hey! You won't call me that, huh?"

Frisk shook their head. "No! Not if you don't like the name." Frisk hesitated. "Does MTT stand for Mettaton? You work for Mettaton?"

The cat chuckled. "When I first came to Hotland, it was my dream to work with Mettaton." He paused for a moment. "Well, be careful what you wish for, little buddy!"

Frisk tipped their head. "Why is Mettaton bad?"

"God, have you even looked around? This place is a labyrinth of bad choices," he huffed. "And every time we try to change something for the better, he vetoes it and says 'that's not how they do it on the surface.' Oh! Right! Humans are always eating hamburgers made of SEQUINS AND GLUE." Burgerpants rolled his eyes. After a breath, he continued his rant, "Why do people find him so attractive? He's literally just a freaking rectangle." Burgerpants hesitation. "You know, one time, I bought one of those, uh, kits online… to… uh, make yourself more rectangular. …They don't work."

Frisk thought for a moment. "What do you think you'll do in the future?"

"Future?" he scoffed. "WHAT future? Nothing down here ever changes. I'll probably be trapped at this stupid job forever. …but wait! There's one thing that keeps me going!" His eyes brightened. "If King Asgore gets just one more soul, we'll finally get to go to the surface! It'll be a brand new world! There's gotta be a second chance out there for me! For everyone! So, stay strong, little buddy. When I make it big, I'll keep you in mind."

Frisk puffed out their chest. "I'll make sure that everyone goes free! Bye!"

The cat's smile widened. "Have a sparkular day!"


	29. Hotland- Lights, Camera, Action!

Chapter Six

 _Lights, Camera, Action!_

Frisk trotted out of the burger joint and put the two smoothies in their bag. Flowey looked back at the store. "Well that was… something. Let's keep going. Save before you go through that door, though," Flowey warned.

Frisk nodded. "Okay. I will." The elevator took them straight to the flashy door and the save point.

" _Behind this door must be the elevator to the king's elevator. Knowing that you will soon meet the king fills you with determination."_

Frisk stepped through the door and into the room. It was dark with neon lights surrounding the stage. Mettaton stood in the center. "OH YES! DARLING, YOU'VE MADE IT! I GUESS IT'S TIME TO FINALLY HAVE OUR SHOWDOWN!"

Frisk puffed up their chest. "We're ready when you are!"

Mettaton laughed and waved his for hands. "YEAH. _RIGHT._ YOU DIDN'T THINK THAT THIS WAS REAL, DID YOU? THAT THIS 'ACT' WAS A REAL STRUGGLE? DR. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THIS ENTIRE TIME, YOU KNOW. SHE'S JUST PRETENDING TO HELP YOU. SHE'S JUST PRETENDING TO GUIDE YOU. DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GET PAST ME AND GET TO THE KING? YOU BECOME HER TEST SUBJECT, OF COURSE! AS YOU ARE THE LAST SOUL, AND DEATH DUE YOU PART WITH YOUR SOUL, WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH A FEW FINAL TESTS? BUT FRANKLY, I DON'T LIKE THAT. THERE'S NO GLAMMER TO IT, NO SHOW! NO CLASS! SO, NOW THIS IS OUR FINEST HOUR, YOUNG HUMAN. TO BE HONEST, I FEEL NO DESIRE TO ACTUALLY _KILL_ PEOPLE- HUMANS OR MONSTERS. AFTER ALL, IF EVERYONE IS DEAD, WHO WILL WATCH MY SHOWS? IT SO HAPPENS THAT I WANT HUMANS AS MY AUDIENCE AS WELL, TO SPREAD MY STARDOM TO THE WORLD! BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, I MUST BE ABLE TO CROSS THE BARRIER. I CAN ONLY DO THAT WITH THE SOUL OF A HUMAN."

The lights behind them shut off as the door was locked and the path to the stage lowered. There was no going back, now. Frisk looked back and then turned to Mettaton. "I admire that, Mettaton! I think that you would make a great star out in the human world! But honestly, you're going about it the wrong way. You need everyone's help to do that- including people like Dr. Alphys and the king. If you kill me and steal my soul, who would end up having your back?"

Mettaton cackled, "PLENTY OF PEOPLE. HUMAN, I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU FOR A WHILE NOW. YOUR SONG AND DANCE WON'T WORK ON ME." Mettaton raised his voice and waved his arms in a grand gesture. Cameras turned on all around. People flooded into the theater around them. "SORRY, FOLKS, BUT THE OLD PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELED. BUT DON'T WORRY, I HAVE A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU _WILD!"_ Spotlights turned on and floor glowed in multiple places. "REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NEW SHOW… 'ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!'"

Frisk's soul, yellow and upside down, appeared before them. Screens surrounded them.

" _Mettaton- Attack 30, Defense 255. HP ? Seriously, his metal exterior still renders him invulnerable to attack."_

Metaton purred, "IF YOU MUST KNOW, I RIGGED THE CORE AND HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU. BUT TO BE HONEST, THAT WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. WHY WOULD I WANT YOU TO DIE IN THE CORE, WHEN YOU COULD DIE BY ME ON SHOW? OH, AND THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER DR. ALPHYS GAVE YOU WON'T WORK ON ME, SWEET-HEART. GUESS YOU'LL HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE. OH, HOW EXCITING! HOW DRAMATIC! THE HUMAN AND THEIR LITTLE PET STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE AN ATTACK BY AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE!"

"U-um, we don't have to fight, Mettaton," Frisk pointed out. "P-plus, isn't death or harming actors technically illegal? Um, somewhere at least?"

The robot chuckled, "OH DARLING, PLEASE. I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU'RE PATHETIC. EVEN IF I WAS TO SPARE YOU, YOU WOULDN'T LAST HALF A MINUTE AGAINST OUR KING!" Boxes dropped from the sky. Frisk pointed up at them and shot. They dissipated when the bullets hit them.

 _Briiing. Brii-_ "H-hello? This is Frisk. I'm a bit busy right now."

"I know," Dr. Alphys stated. "Turn Mettaton around. There's a switch on his back. Press it." _Click._

Frisk hesitated and then turned to Flowey. "Um… I don't…?"

Flowey piped up, "Hey! Looks like you got something on your screen there, buddy. Is that box debris? There's a mirror behind you."

"IS THERE?" Mettaton whipped around. "WHERE IS IT? I CAN'T SEE-" Flowey's vine snapped at the switch. It flicked on. Mettaton froze. "DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?" Mettaton's screen flashed in a bizarre pattern of lights. He put two hands to his head and shuttered violently. A bright white light flashed. Frisk took a step back and put an arm over their eyes. Flowey hid in their backpack. When the light dimmed, Frisk opened their eyes. Fog rolled over the stage. Two stage lights flicked on. A four-armed humanoid shape stood in the fog.

"Ohhhh my…" Mettaton purred. His voice was smoother and less electronic. "If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premier of my new body. How rude. Luckily, I've been aching to show this off for a while. So… as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments…" The fog dissipated and all the stage lights turned on. "ABSOLUTELY beautiful!" Mettaton twirled and showed off his new body. Black and red worked together on top of gray metal. He shined in the light. Even his black hair glimmered in metallic light. His waist held a large box with a floating pink heart in it. His arms stayed relatively the same, though they now looked more humanoid.

Frisk looked about. People cheered and whooped around them. A screen nearby showed statics of the ratings thus far. They were pretty low. Frisk looked about and then at Mettaton. People cheered him on. He spun around and posed. Frisk smiled and copied him. Roars and nods rewarded them. Frisk and Flowey looked over the crowd. Some people they recognized were there. Shyren… Napstablook… Monster Kid… Papyrus! Sans! Captain Undyne! All three of them stood next to each other.

Frisk turned back to Mettaton and dodged a hard kick. Mettaton's six inch heels slammed on the ground near them. Frisk dodged and danced out of the way. Flowey corrected their movements occasionally, but otherwise just gave encouragement. "Yeah! You're doing great!" As they performed, the rating climbed.

"LIGHTS! CAMERA! BLOODSHED!" Mettaton cried and waved his hand. Small box-Mettatons flanked by bombs rained down. Frisk dodged a few of them, though they pointed their soul at another few. They were disintegrated.

"Whoa! Look out!" Flowey yanked their foot back. Frisk, determined to keep their balance, jumped back. A heart escaped each Mettaton and flowed past them before they dissipated.

"Darling, I'm the star that everyone craves!" Mettaton crowd and lashed out at them. Frisk managed to dodge, only to run face-first into his next attack. They were thrown back with a hard kick from his metal leg. Injured, they clambered to their feet and shook themselves. They didn't have very many healing items. Instead, Frisk struck a pose, just as Mettaton did. Roars of approval met them. Another hit by one of Mettaton's attacks, however, caused them to nearly fall over. Cracks formed over their soul. Any second, it could break. Frisk took out one of the starfaits and downed it in seconds. Their injuries were gone. Whoops and cheers met them. The audience loves the brand.

Frisk danced back with a playful giggle as Mettaton struck at them. After the third time they were evaded, Mettaton crowed, "Well time for our regularly scheduled break!" Frisk took a deep breath and straightened out.

"Frisk, be careful," Flowey urged.

"I will. This is so much fun!" Frisk chirped and bounced on their heels.

"Well, you've certainly shown your heart," Mettaton purred. "Why don't I show you mine?" The glass box on his waist opened. The pink heart floated above them. Electricity buzzed and burst out in all directions. Frisk dodged and shot at the heart at every opportunity. Quite suddenly- _CRASH!_

Two of Mettaton's arms, one holding a mic and the other one an actual canon, dropped to the ground. Mettaton huffed and smiled, "It'll take a bit more than that to take me down! Come on, Darling, let's dance!" He waved his remaining hands. A disco ball appeared. Lasers, some white, and some blue, burst from it. Frisk danced away from the white lasers that soared toward them and stood still in the blue ones. Flowey ducked his head on occasion and eventually just hid in the backpack.

By the time the attack was over, Frisk was beginning to become tired. Then again, one whack from Mettaton's mechanical foot that send them sprawling on the other side of the stage got rid of their exhaustion. Gasps rippled through the crowd. Frisk, wincing, got up on one elbow. Blood dribbled down the side of their face. They couldn't summon the energy to stand up. Mettaton, eyes bright and an excited smile lighting up his face, watched the struggling human.

Their elbow brushed something small and pointed. Frisk shakily put a hand on the ground and gripped the little thing. A blue spear clinging to a metal wire necklace was held in their palm. _"When faced with a problem, WORK AROUND IT! Draw your power from your SOUL! Through sheer determination you will defeat your enemies!"_ Captain Undyne's advice shot through their mind. Frisk wiped the blood off their forehead and scrambled to their feet. They side-stepped a hard kick from Mettaton and darted around to get behind him. His canon hand blasted the ground they attempted to stand on. This caused them to stagger to the side to avoid being shot. They tripped and fell back. Flowey wrapped his vines around them. Their fall turned into a roll with a passive pose. The audience cheered as, despite their terrible injuries, and the fall, they still preformed well.

Ratings were starting to sky rocket.

Mettaton waved his arms. "We've grown so distant, Darling. Why not a heart-to-heart?" The glass box that held his heart flew back up into the air. Empty boxes materialized around it. Frisk struggled to dodge the lightning bolts sent at them while, at the same time, shooting at the heart. Flowey wrapped his vines around their wrist pointed them in the right direction each time they strayed.

 _CRASH!_ Mettaton's other pair of arms clattered to the ground.

"A-arms?" Mettaton huffed. "Who needs arms with legs like _these?"_

Frisk laughed and dodged the next bombs and boxes sent at them. Mettaton danced and posed, somehow looking dramatic without his arms. Boxes and bombs bombarded them. Frisk dodged or shot down most of it. However, they couldn't dodge it all, even with Flowey's help. A box tore through their soul, nearly shattering it. Frisk fell to one knee, clutching their chest.

Flowey looked up and pulled Frisk back to their feet. The young human staggered to their feet and copied Mettaton's pose again. The audience gasped. They wiped the blood off their face so that it didn't get in their eye or mouth. Mettaton cooed, "Oh, Darling, why do you keep fighting? Do you really believe in yourself that much? Haha… well, this is your last turn. So why not make it absolutely _fabulous!?"_ His heart flew out of his chest and danced around. Two bombs protected it. Lightning flashed out. Frisk managed to dodge and, with Flowey's help, shoot his heart. Mettaton struck at them with his legs and bounded back to avoid being shot as well. However, he couldn't last for much longer. His heart shuttered and retreated. Mettaton's legs fell off and he clattered to the floor.

Frisk gasped and raced to his side. "Oh! Are you alright?"

"HAHA, DARLING… OH! LOOK AT THOSE RATINGS!" Mettaton gasped and looked up at the board. The ratings chart read over ten thousand. "THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE EVER HAD! WE'VE REACHED THE CALL-IN MILESTONE, EVERYONE! SO, ONE LUCKY PERSON GETS TO TALK TO ME, METTATON, BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER! LET'S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST!"

Flowey breathed, "How does he expect to do that?"

The speaker on Mettaton's chest rang. "HI! YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON OUR LAST SHOW?"

"oh…" a very familiar voice sounded through the receiver. "hi, mettaton… you're… leaving forever… i really liked watching your show… it brought excitement to my life… vicariously… my life is pretty boring, after all… i'll miss you, mettaton…"

"NO! WAIT! WAIT, BL… THEY HUNG UP." Mettaton's smile began to fade in the sadness they soon felt. He shook himself and put on a grand smile. "I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!"

"Mettaton! You're show made us so happy!" "Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you." "Mettaton! There's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart!"

"…AH. I…" Mettaton's eyes closed and his smile left. "I… I SEE." His smile returned. "EVERYONE! THANK YOU SO MUCH! DARLING… PERHAPS IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAYED A LITTLE WHILE LONGER. HUMANS HAVE STARS AND IDOLS. BUT MONSTERS ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT, I'D LEAVE AN ACHING VOID THAT COULD NEVER BE FILLED. THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS SPARK. SO, I THINK I'LL HAVE TO… DELAY MY BIG DEBUT. BESIDES." Mettaton lost his smile. A seriousness fell over his red-and-gray face. "YOU'VE PROVEN YOURSELF STRONGER THAN I ANTICIPATED. PERHAPS EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO… TO GET PAST KING ASGORE. HAHA… I GUESS IT'S FOR THE BEST. THIS SUIT'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS… NOT THE BEST. SOON MY BATTERIES WILL DRAIN AND I'LL… HEH. YOU HAVE BIGGER PROBLEMS ON YOUR HEAD, DARLING. I'LL BE FINE. GO! FULFILL YOUR DESTINY. AND TO ALL OF MY WONDERFUL VIEWERS: THANK YOU!" Mettaton cried and looked about at his audience. "THANK YOU FOR STAYING TUNED AND STAYING WITH ME! GOODNIGHT!"

Mettaton flashed one last smile at Frisk before his eyes and glowing heart dulled.

Dr. Alphys unlocked the door and shuffled inside. "Mettaton?" For the first time Frisk, or Flowey, had ever seen, Dr. Alphys' voice changed and her face contorted into a strange emotion. It was not the cold curiosity the scientist often held when they were not void of emotion. It was surprise and… fear?

The scientist pushed past Frisk and knelt. "…it's the batteries. Thank God. He'll live-" Dr. Alphys' expression of relief melted away. It was replaced by the same emotionlessness Frisk knew. "My project will continue to function. You may leave, Frisk."

Frisk nodded and limped out of the room. From there, the exhausted human and their flower friend trudged down the hall and to the elevator. They nearly pressed the button when Dr. Alphys' voice called from the hallway: "Wait!"

Frisk turned around and watched the reptilian scientist approach. "Hello, Dr. Alphys. Did you need something?"

Dr. Alphys stopped in front of Frisk. "Yes. You know that the barrier can be broken. But did you hear about the legends of a being with a powerful soul being able to pass through it?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. If I can make it, I can go past King Asgore and through the barrier."

"That's only partially true. Your soul is strong, but not strong enough. In order to leave, you must absorb the soul of a monster," Dr. Alphys stated. "But not just any monster: a boss monster. The only boss monster in the Underground is King Asgore. In order to leave, if you want to survive long enough to help the monsters without dying, you'll need to kill King Asgore and take his soul. Do with this information what you wish. Goodbye." Dr. Alphys turned and shuffled down the hallway, back to Mettaton.

Frisk watched Dr. Alphys go. "I'll… I'll have to _kill_ him?"

Flowey nodded. "If you want to leave."

"B-but I don't want to kill anyone! I just want to help them break the barrier and be free."

"Frisk, let me give it to you straight. Either you kill King Asgore and go find a human soul to use, meaning you kill a _human_ , or you die and give up your own," the flower stated.

"I-I don't- what should I do?" they asked helplessly.

"I'm not going to make this choice for you, Frisk," Flowey denied. "I've been helping you as much as I can, and I will continue to help you, but this is a choice you're just going to have to make on your own. Let's go. Time waits for no one, Frisk. Leaving is not an option."

Frisk nodded and stepped through the elevator. They pressed the only button on there. The trip to the castle seemed to take a very long time- much longer than any of the other elevators. Frisk stared at their feet. So, it was a choice. It was either King Asgore, the king of all monsters, or Frisk, the blind child that stumbled upon monster land. They traveled the underground for days. They made friends. They laughed and sang and danced. They dodged and they deflected attacks. They met new people all around the underground. Everyone looked up to King Asgore. What right did Frisk have to take his life? Yet, the thought of dying… now, after finding happiness for the first time in so long… after finding a reason to live…

The elevator stopped. They stepped out. Their solemn journey through the gray-brick hallway was completely silent. The only noise came from Frisk's feet on the ground and the sound of their breath. Some distance away, the rest of the city blossomed. Buildings of all shapes and sizes filled the underground. Activity filled the streets. So many souls, so many lives, all clustered together so tight.

They came to a stop. A golden sparkle was before them.

" _Determination."_


	30. Kingdom- Story Time

Chapter One

 _Storytime_

A house, quite like the one in the Ruins save for the fact that it was completely monotone, stretched out before a young human child. A buttercup inside of a dull blue-purple backpack slung over their back was turned forward. When the young human walked in, they found that the house was almost the exact same layout as the quaint house that Toriel lived in way back at the beginning of the cavern. The gate to the stairs was closed by a two-lock chain. There was a note attached. Flowey read aloud, "'Howdy! I'm in the garden. The keys are on the kitchen and the bedroom if you need me.' Sounds like him."

Frisk hesitated and then went into the first bedroom, the bedroom that was in the same place as the one Toriel had offered. Two presents were there. Frisk looked about and touched the left bed.

" _My bed."_

Curious, Frisk looked to the other bed.

" _His bed."_

"Are there kids here?" Frisk prompted.

Flowey shook his head. "Not anymore."

"Do you know-?"

"No." Frisk, taken aback by Flowey's sharp attitude, turned away from him. Flowey piped up, "Open the presents. They're for you."

"Are they? But there's no note–"

"Just do it."

"Okay." Frisk opened the first. There was a little heart-shaped locket in it. They rubbed their fingers over the little silver heart. They could almost feel it beating.

" _Heart Locket- Defense 15. It says 'Best Friends Forever.'"_

Frisk held it to their chest and opened the next one. A dagger was inside of it.

" _Worn dagger- Attack 15. Perfect for cutting plants and vines."_

Frisk picked that one up, too. They looked at Flowey. He did not react. "Do these belong to someone?"

"You," Flowey stated. "Just… take them."

Frisk nodded. "Okay." They heart locket fell over their chest. It turned a jungle green. They took off the apron and put it away. They had to put away the pan, too, to hold the dagger. They turned and walked down the hallway. Two froggits bounded out from behind some vases of golden flowers. Frisk's soul glowed and appeared before them.

The first froggit croaked, "A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins."

The second continued, "Injured by it's fall, the human called out for help."

Before Frisk could react, the two monsters hopped out of the house. Frisk turned around. A green key was on the desk. Frisk put it in their pocket before continuing down the hallway. Two Whimsums fluttered forth. Frisk's soul appeared before them.

The first whispered, "Prince Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call."

The second one agreed, "He brought the human back to the castle."

The two then vanished. Unknown to Frisk, tears began to form in Flowey's eyes.

The dining room/living room set up was quite a bit like Toriel's- down to the chair. However, the fire was out. Three moldsmalls rolled in front of Frisk. The first gurgled, "Over time, Prince Asriel and the human became like siblings."

The second piped up, "The King and Queen treated the human as their own."

The third continued, "The underground was full of hope."

The three gelatinous monsters rolled away. Frisk looked back at them before continuing into the kitchen. A key lay on the counter next to the stove. Frisk turned and walked back to the chains. They unlocked the chain and walked down the stairs. Two migosps met them.

The first chattered, "Then… One day…"

The second picked up where the first left off. "The human became very ill."

Frisk hadn't made it far after that before three vegatoids popped out of the earth.

"The sick human had only one request."

"To see the flowers from their village."

"But there was nothing we could do."

The three monsters popped back into the ground. Frisk continued. That poor child…

Two looxes confronted Frisk and Flowey.

"The next day-" the looxes stated at the same time.

The first hesitated. The second went on, "-the human died."

Frisk put a hand over their mouth. The two monsters walked away. Flowey curled back his lip and wrinkled his nose as the words, and the meaning behind them, cut through him.

Snowdrake, and perhaps his sibling or friend, met them. "Prince Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul."

Chilldrake picked up, "He transformed into a being with incredible power."

The two fluttered away. It wasn't too long before Frisk stumbled upon three icecaps.

"With the human soul, Prince Asriel crossed through the barrier."

"He carried the human's body into the sunset."

"Back to the village of the humans."

The three icecaps wandered off.

Frisk walked around a bend and continued. They walked until three Woshuas were in their path.

"Prince Asriel reached the center of the village."

"There, he found a bed of golden flowers."

"He carried the human to it."

Flowey bowed his head deeper. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Frisk moved around another corner. The wall fell away to reveal the kingdom. Shyren, Aaron, and Moldbygg appeared.

Shyren stated, "Suddenly, screams rang out."

"The villagers saw Prince Asriel carrying the human body," Aaron agreed.

"They thought that he had killed the child," Molbygg stated.

It was not long before Frisk found three dummies.

"The humans attacked him with everything they had."

"He was struck with blow after blow."

"Prince Asriel had the power to destroy them all."

The three dummies floated away. Frisk soon came upon Knight Knight and Madjick.

"But…" Knight Knight announced.

"Prince Asriel did not fight back," Madjick informed them.

"Clutching the human," Knight Knight continued.

"Prince Asriel smiled and walked away," Madjick finished.

Madjick jumped into his hat and vanished. Knight Knight bowed her head. Frisk walked around them and continued.

Three Final Froggits appeared before the young human. "Wounded, Prince Asriel stumbled home."

"He entered the castle and collapsed."

"His dust spread across the garden."

The three frogs hopped away. Frisk, biting their tongue, continued. Oh, Prince Asriel…

Three Whimsalots stopped Frisk. "The kingdom fell into despair."

"The king and queen had lost two children in one night."

"The humans had once again taken everything from us."

The three fluttering monsters flew away, leaving Frisk to walk through the hallway again. This time, they were stopped by three Astigmatisms.

"The king decided it was time to end our suffering."

"Every human who falls down here must die."

"With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever."

Frisk watched the three monsters leave. Frisk walked in silence.

Moldsmall, Loox, and Migosp appeared before them.

Loox commented, "It's not long now."

The three stated together, "King Asgore will–"

"-let us go."

"-give us hope."

"-save us all."

These three stepped aside to allow Frisk to walk past them.

Pyrope and two vulkins stopped them.

"You should be smiling, too," Pyrope pointed out.

"Aren't you excited?" the first vulkin prompted.

"Aren't you happy?" the second inquired.

Frisk didn't answer. They just kept walking.

A froggit stood in their way. "You're going to be free."

Frisk gave him a curt nod. The froggit turned and hopped away. Frisk reached the end of the hallway. Above, there was an elevator. Below was a path into a gold-and-red room. Frisk turned and walked down into the red and gold creation. A golden sparkle was just within the room. When Frisk touched it, the feeling of warmth and determination flooded through them. Yet no words came in response. Lights glimmered through stained glass church windows. Pillars rose up all around them. Frisk walked down the corridor. Flowey, teary eyed and silent, turned around to look in front of Frisk.

Sans stepped out of the shadow of one of pillars. Frisk stopped in front of him. "So, you finally made it. You're at the end. In a few minutes, you'll meet the king and decide the fate of all of us." Sans shut his eyes and chuckled. "let me tell you, kid. you are one surprising little thing, aren't you?" His scarlet eyes met theirs. "you never fought a single monster. you might have been defeated over and over, but you never gave up. so many monsters gave you all the reason in the world to kill them. but you didn't. you refused to fight. if you couldn't reason with them, you ran. if they fought you, you endured every bit of pain thrown at you. you saw the good in everyone." Sans's grin faded in the slightest, though it didn't disappear. "but that stops now."

"What?" Frisk inquired.

Sans shrugged. "human, i know that you've made it your religious endeavor to befriend everyone. but, ah, that's not how things work around here. i was willing to watch you go all through the underground. i waited pretty much everywhere to see who'd kill you. then, ah, i could deliver your soul to king asgore myself. i could just… brush alphys out of the way and become the true royal scientist. after all, i am much more qualified- in every way except i haven't proven myself. then i won't have to stay in my brother's stupid shadow. so, human. anything you want to say before i end your life? hell i'll give you a… final request- within reason."

Frisk stared at him. "But… why? Why can't I just go to the king myself?"

"it's my job to guard the king, kid. earning a bit extra on the side is never bad. now, did you want that wish or should i kill you now?" Sans prompted.

Frisk hesitated and then nodded. They took off their backpack. "Okay. Please don't let anyone hurt Flowey- including yourself."

"heh. what else did i expect? sure thing, kid." Sans waved his hand. The backpack turned blue. Flowey cried out in surprise as he was lifted into the air.

"WHAT?! FRISK! NO! SANS, PUT ME DOWN! I'M NOT OKAY WITH THIS, FRISK! I'M NOT LEAVING YOU!" Flowey shrieked and struggled in the backpack.

"No, Flowey. I'm sorry," Frisk stated. "I'm doing this alone. If you try and help me, you'll get hurt."

Sans hung the backpack over the door at the end of the hallway. It was immediately surrounded by a cage of bones. Flowey attempted to attack the bones with one of his vines. He failed. "No, Frisk! I'm not giving up! I swear to God, Frisk, I am going to stop you!" Flowey resumed attacking the cage with all he had- vines, pellets, and even his own head and teeth.

Frisk looked over at Flowey. "I'm really, really sorry, Flowey."

Sans pointed out. "there's a trans dimensional box over there. i saw you use one. oh, and if you try and run away, i'll catch you so don't bother."

Frisk strolled back to the box at the end of the corridor. They knelt felt around the box. The pie and the sweater was still there. Frisk folded the apron and set it and the pan in the box. They picked up the slice of cinnamon-butterscotch pie and set it on the floor beside the box. Their fingers brushed across the fluffy bunny. The memory of Sans reading them a bedtime story cut through their heart and mind like one of Captain Undyne's spears. Frisk put on their black and red striped sweater and unsheathed their dagger. They felt a very strong presence beside them. The heart locket felt warm and the feeling of its heartbeat became more prevalent. It turned a vibrant red. Frisk touched the golden sparkle.

" _Determination."_

Frisk took a deep breath and walked toward Sans. He glanced down at the worn dagger and laughed, "that puny little thing's your weapon? what are you going to do, poke me?"

Frisk stopped before him. "No. Sans, I don't want to fight you."

Sans sneered. "i wouldn't want to fight me, either."

Frisk's soul beat before them.

 _Sans- Defense 5, Attack 10. HP 1. Forgettable._

"flowers are blooming, birds are singing. kids like you…" Sans eyes grew dark. "should just give up and _die._ " Sans left hand left his pocket. Red light swirled around his fingers. Frisk jumped back in time to miss the white and red bones. Frisk's soul turned blue. They were thrown into the air and then slammed into the floor. They hit the floor with enough force to crack the tile.

 _Frisk- Defense 15, Attack 15. HP 20. Blind. Determined to SAVE monsters._

Frisk, gasping and wheezing, attempted to get up. Their crushed ribs punished every movement, brought pain to every twitch of a muscle- including the expanding and contracting of their lungs. Sans' hand went back into his pocket. A wall of bones shot up. _Shirk! Chink…_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Frisk shook their head. They stood beside their box and pie. The young human turned and walked to Sans. The skeleton's smile widened. "huh. i'm good at my job, eh? too bad i couldn't take your soul. welp, time to try again."

Frisk jumped back to avoid the bones. Frisk's soul turned blue. They were thrown into the air and dropped. Frisk waved their arms and braced themselves. They landed on the ground in a roll. Bones shot up. _Shirk! Chink…_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Frisk immediately walked to Sans. The skeleton huffed, "odd. you're still kicking? well, third time's the charm. bye." Frisk jumped out of the way of the first row of bones. After being thrown in the air, they landed in a roll. Frisk jumped back up to get away from the next bone attack. Bones raced up from an angle behind Frisk. Frisk was thrown forward. Somehow, the bones didn't kill them. They attempted to dodge the next bout. The bones whacked them straight out of the air and threw them to the ground. Frisk whimpered and got up on one elbow. Their soul, severely cracked, hung before their chest.

Sans' right eye vanished. The left one glowed in bright red energy. Sans raised his left hand, glimmering in the same red energy. Skulls appeared out of thin air. The canid skulls were much larger than Frisk and Sans. Red pupils glowed in their eye sockets. All at once, they opened their jaws. Their bottom jaws split in two like a snake's to open their mouths wider. Frisk's entire world turned a brilliant red so light it was almost pink. _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

 _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

Frisk gasped and set a hand on their chest. They turned to Sans. Frisk approached him, still shaky on their feet. Their necklace faded into a pretty purple. The skeleton laughed. "hah. that look on your face. that's the look of someone who's died thrice in a row. haha… let's make it four, shall we?"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"fifth right? nice."

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"I w-won't fight you!"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"human, just give up."

 _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

"Sans, I swear that I will _never_ give up- not on you, not on anyone!"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"back again?"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"I don't care how many times you kill me. I. Won't. Give. Up!"

 _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

"heh. kinda happy you came back. i'm having a great time here."

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"Sans, please. I'm not going to hurt you!"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"just give me your soul and i'll stop fighting you."

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"This isn't how it has to be, Sans. You know I'd rather die than harm a soul- including the king and including you."

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"i'd say that your death could be arranged, but it already has been. ha!"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"I'm not changing my mind, Sans. I won't fight you!"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"how many times are we going to do this, human?"

 _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

"Please, Sans. Stop this. Just… relax. We can get through this."

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"what are you trying to accomplish? i'm going to kill you!"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"You can kill me a hundred times, Sans, I don't care. But I'm going to do what's right."

 _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

"if it's about doing what's 'right' then i'd suggest giving up your soul."

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"I'm going to talk to King Asgore."

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"you won't talk to anyone ever again, kid."

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"ha! you are determined, aren't you? too bad that won't make a difference."

 _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

"I'm _determined_ to save you! All of you!"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"the most 'determined' thing you can do right now is to, ah, completely give up."

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"I will never give up, Sans. Not on you, not on anyone."

 _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

"kid, the pain won't stop. no matter what you say, i'll always be right here to meet ya."

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"Sans, please… listen to me!"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"Sans, please… just listen…"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"Sans… please…"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"Sans…"

 _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

"Please…"

 _Shirk! Chink…_

"P-please…"

 _Shirk! Chink…_


	31. Kingdom- Believe

Chapter Two

 _Believe_

Frisk appeared before the golden sparkle. They tried to move, but instead slumped to their knees. The worn dagger skittered away from them.

"how many times?" Sans goaded. "when are you going to learn to just _quit?_ _"_

Flowey, still hanging from the doorway, watched them with round eyes. "Cha- Frisk! No! Don't give up! Hang in there!"

Frisk opened their eyes. They saw nothing but the gold and red blur of the floor and the black and red of their sweater and pants. A little purple heart dangled from a chain around their neck. Yet, as it tapped against their frail chest, it dulled into a sharp silver. The young human took a deep breath and shook their head. "I'm sorry, Flowey. But I don't know how much more I can take."

"it's easy!" Sans crowed and wave his arms before him. "just give up!"

Flowey hissed at Sans and then turned to Frisk. "Don't! Frisk, I believe in you. This isn't who you are. You're kind! You're brave! You're _determined!"_

Frisk shut their eyes and shook their head. "No, Flowey. Think about it. This is just going to happen again and again. I'm going to try and talk to Sans and then he'll kill me. That's it. That's all there is to it. So… why bother?"

"Why bo- Frisk! No, that's not you!" Flowey cried. "Stop it! Stop it _now!_ "

Frisk shut their eyes and shook their head. "You can have the pie if you want."

They could hear Sans take a few steps forward. A heat, a body of energy, warmed the clothes on their left. A hand, small and pale like Frisk's, landed on their shoulder. Frisk didn't look up. Chara's presence surrounded them like a heat. _"Frisk! Stay determined."_

"I can't," Frisk mumbled. "What am I doing?"

" _Giving up,"_ Chara stated. _"You are giving up. Your determination is fading. Soon, Flowey's determination will overcome yours. Soon, you won't be able to reset. If you die, you won't be able to pull yourself back."_

"But what's the point?" Frisk inquired with a short shrug. "Why? What does struggling do? Nothing. You can't make your dreams come true through determination. It's not possible." Sans' feet stopped before them.

" _The point? Your life is the point. But you do not realize that, do you? Then let me ask you another question: if you will not fight for yourself, would you fight for Flowey?"_

"Of course," Frisk stated immediately. "But he's safe! Sans wouldn't… he… he wouldn't hurt him."

" _Who's going to stop him once you're dead? Who'll believe Flowey when Sans betrays him?"_ Chara inquired. A red bone materialized before Sans. He raised his hand.

"I will."

" _Determination. You will defeat Sans. You will not kill him, but you will defeat him. Fight, Frisk! Fight! Fight for what you believe in. Fight for WHO you believe in! Now!"_ Chara's voice hissed. _"I will help you."_

Sans chuckled, "better luck next time, kid. see you in the next life."

The scarlet bone came down and then shattered. Frisk's dagger, now held stead-fast in their hand, cut through the attack like a hot knife through butter. Their heart locket flashed a brilliant scarlet. Sans' eyes widened in surprise. Frisk lunged and stabbed the air near Sans' head. He teleported back. Frisk gave chase. Any time he tried to summon an attack, he left himself open for another potentially lethal attack. Their once brown eyes glimmered in a light just as red as Sans'. They were clear, bright, nearly glowing with a light of their own. Frisk now saw Sans in perfect clarity. The rest of the world was still a blur. Even their soul faded into a red mess of color.

Frisk hesitated. Sans looked… cool. The gold fluff in his coat was a complete opposite of the black of his coat. His grin held a gold fang. Did he always have that? Odd; they never noticed. They didn't notice the small yellow chain in his pocket or the minute designs of gold in his collar and shoes. How did Toriel look? Papyrus? Captain Undyne? Dr. Alphys? Mettaton?

" _Concentrate!"_ Chara scolded. Frisk shook themselves, only slightly embarrassed.

After Frisk's third strike, Sans got over his surprise. He raised bones from the floor. Frisk dodged them. From the ceiling and midair, bones struck at them. Frisk dodged them. Chara sliced through the ones they were unable to evade.

"finally fighting back, i see?" Sans sneered and teleported away from another attack. "stooping to my level? finally losing that cute, innocent façade that you love so much?"

Frisk stood up straight and glowered at him. "No. Sans, being nice doesn't mean being defenseless. Being kind doesn't mean rolling over. It means that you care for people and you believe in people. When you truly care for something, someone, there is _nothing_ you won't do. Yet murder isn't a consequence of fighting. Murder is a consequence of _losing._ "

"losing? hah!" Sans laughed. "so when i killed you all those times, i was just losing?"

"Yes." Frisk ducked out of the way of a Gaster Blaster and leaped out of an area that soon became a pit of bones. "You believe that murder is your only option, Sans, but it isn't!"

"you know _nothing_ , do you?" Sans huffed. "you really are an idiot."

The fallen human shook their head. "I'm not an idiot. Sans: you are a noble, powerful skeleton. You have the potential to be great, to be kind, to be caring. But you've become bitter in your brother's shadow and gained malice from the world's treatment of you. But that doesn't have to go on."

"stop talking like you know me!" Sans snarled and waved his hands. Red and white bones were launched at a great speed. Frisk dodged these, too. "stop it! just- shut up and die!" He tore both hands into the air. Frisk jumped. The entire area around them bristled with white and red.

Then, it changed. The section below them vanished, revealing the ground again. Frisk landed heavily on the tile floor. The remaining pellets vanished. Frisk looked up. Flowey watched them with round eyes. "Go on, Chara! I believe in you!"

The bones vanished. Sans snarled in frustration. Sweat glistened in the light. His stance was a bit looser, a bit less steady. Sans waved his hands. Bones flew from the air around them. Gaster Blasters formed around them. He staggered as he threw off his own balance with the spell. Frisk, under the aid of Chara, dodged attack after attack. Finally, the attacks began to weaken. They slowed down and were less frequent. By the time the last blaster set off, no bones were in motion. Sans waved his hand to summon more. Nothing happened. The bones that made Flowey's cage vanished. The skeleton, exhausted, fell to his knees and bowed his head.

Frisk approached the skeleton. Sans wheezed in such a way that it resembled a laugh. "what now? going to finish me off? or are you still stuck believing that you can 'save' me?"

Frisk put away their knife and knelt. Their eyes faded from red to brown. Their heart locket faded from red to green. Sans faded from complete clarity to a red, gold, white, and black blur. Without a word, Frisk wrapped their arms around Sans and pulled him close for a hug. He stared at the empty ground behind them.

"why?" he asked. "why are you doing this? why are you being so nice to me?"

"Everyone need a little kindness every once in a while," Frisk purred. "That means you, too, Sans."

"…you are too kind, frisk," Sans stated. "what have i done to deserve this? i've killed you countless times in countless ways. why are you being so nice to me?"

"You know the answer," Frisk pointed out. "I love you all, Sans. Not just Flowey or Papyrus or Captain Undyne- everyone. That includes you. Everyone has greatness and the potential for amazing things in them. Sometimes, some people just need a little push."

Sans shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around them. "you are the oddest child i've ever met, frisk."

"That's so kind coming from you!" Frisk chuckled. "Sans, we have an entire nation of people to liberate. Do… do you want to help me?"

The smaller skeleton nodded. "yeah. sure. just, ah, no dancing."

Frisk laughed. "Whatever you say, Sans! I'll make you a dancer yet, don't you even worry." For the longest time, Sans didn't let go. Frisk didn't push him away. For the longest time, the skeleton rested his head on Frisk's shoulder and intertwined his own fingers behind their back. Frisk responded by doing the same thing. His jacket was still very fluffy.

Eventually, Sans opened his sleepy eyes and let go. Frisk let go of him and sat back. Sans rubbed the back of his head with a small defeated huff. Before he could speak, Frisk pulled out a small bag from their shoulder bag and set it down before Sans. Sans tipped his head. "uh, what?"

"Open it," Frisk prompted. "I want you to have it."

Sans opened the bag completely and pulled out a plate of spaghetti. Sans' eyes grew round in shock. "how did… did he make this for you?"

Frisk nodded. "When he helped me leave Snowdin, he gave that to me."

Sans' eyes narrowed. His grip on it grew possessive. "pfft. he hasn't cooked in years."

"Did he used to make this?" Frisk prompted.

Sans nodded. "yeah."

Frisk gave him a patient smile. "When? He doesn't seem like the cooking sort."

"when we were younger he… cooked a lot. he liked cooking. our dad taught us both, since, uh, cooking is a science in a way? anyway, he was always better than i at it, like usual." Frisk could feel the slight joy creeping into his words. "he always made the best meals. during the holidays, he cooked all sorts of food. spaghetti was always my favorite of his, so he cooked it for my birthday. heh. my brother's the best." For the first time that Frisk had ever seen, Sans was not only really relaxed, but talked about Papyrus with genuine happiness- and referred to him as his brother.

"So, he's an amazing big bro, huh?" Frisk prompted with a slight chuckle.

Sans' good mood vanished in an instant. His dark gaze came back to them. "yeah. he was. he was the best brother. but then he joined the royal guard and doesn't even act like it. now he has you. so _you_ replaced me." Sans' pupils vanished. "you dirty brother stealer!"

Frisk yelped and covered their hands over their head as a Gaster Blaster popped into existence. Sans' hand glowed in harsh red energy. Eleven more popped up. "W-wait! Sans, I'm not–"

"shut up, you liar!" Sans barked. The food was very quickly hidden. He was on his feet. "you selfish little _bitch!_ if you cared an inkling about anyone but yourself, you'd have stayed away from him!" Frisk jumped to their feet and, with Chara's aid, raced out of the range of the blasters. Frisk attempted to walk toward him. A wall of bones rushed up to meet them. Frisk yelped and jumped back. "just fucking die, already!" Sans snarled. A liquid other than sweat glimmered on Sans' cheeks. "then we'll both be happy, alright?!"

Frisk jumped out of the way of another attack. "Please! You're going to hurt yourself!"

Sans, slightly unsteady, shook his head. "no!" The blasters appeared again. Frisk was hardly able to dodge all of them. After a few more bone attacks, the spur of hate-fueled energy was lost on Sans. His attacks began to wear down. By the end of it, he was hardly able to stay on his own two feet.

"Calm down," Frisk urged in a gentle voice. They held up their empty hands. "I'm not fighting you. Sans, you're hurting yourself. Sit down. It's okay."

Sans, blurry-eyed, snarled, "just- shut up and die!" Bones bristled from the ground a few feet away. Sans shook his head again.

Frisk relaxed and walked toward the skeleton. "Sans, hush. Please. You're okay."

"get away from me!" Sans barked and teleported a few inches away.

Frisk shook their head and wrapped their arms around the skeleton. "I know how it feels, Sans. It hurts. It really hurts." Sans whimpered. Frisk's grip on him tightened. "You're just with your bro. You feel like trash because he's too busy to pay as much attention to you like when you were younger. So, you're taking it out on other people. But you don't have to, Sans. You don't have to hurt people. You're a brilliant man, Sans. You can think of a solution to anything, I just know it. You're clever, brilliant, and you're a good bro. Papyrus loves you, too. Anyone could see that. Sure, it can be kind of difficult, but once you see it, you can't see anything else."

Sans shut his eyes. "you are… right. i can find a solution to any problem." His eyes went dark. "i guess you're the problem, huh? you little _thief."_

Bones rushed out of the ground and impaled them. The young human choked. Blood spattered Sans' cheek. The bones fell away. The only reason Frisk wasn't on the floor was because of their grip on Sans' coat. A slight smile crossed their features. "W-well, that's not… not what I expected… but! But st-still…! I believe… believe in you…!" They struggled to move their head so that their watery chocolate eyes met his. "Y-you… can do a-a little b-better… even if y-you don't… don't think so…! I… I p-promise…" Their eyes began to shut.


	32. Kingdom- Defense

Chapter Three

 _Defense_

Sans gasped and gripped their sides. Frisk's arms fell away. _"_ oh _shit!_ shit! i'm sorry. fuck!" He wrapped his arms around the human. A vine gripped Sans' arm. The golds and browns of the judgement hall vanished. They were soon replaced by silver and white and brown. Cold bit into them as snow swirled around them. Below them, snow began to melt and turn pink as blood oozed from the wound in their chest. Flowey's backpack hit the ground beside them.

Sans raced into their house and looked about. After half a second of thinking, he raced up into his room, brought out a towel, and wrapped it around Frisk's chest. They were then cocooned in a black and red blanket, Sans set them down on the couch. Sans gripped his collar and then let go. He raced outside and set Flowey down on the couch-side table. Then, Sans continued to race about the house.

Hardly a minute after Sans touched his collar, Papyrus raced into the house. "SANS! WHAT'S-" Papyrus cut himself off upon seeing Frisk's half-conscious body on the couch. "SANS! WHAT HAPPENED!"

Sans raced down the stairs and stood in front of Papyrus. "th-they're very badly wounded, boss. i-i brought them here."

Papyrus gently unfolded the blanket. Red blossomed on the towel wrapped around Frisk's chest. They opened their eyes into slits and groaned. "WHO DID THIS? SANS! YOU HAVE BLOOD ON YOU!" His small eyes flicked to Sans. Sans' shirt sported a deep red stain as did his cheek.

Flowey growled, "Sans." Papyrus' wide eyes narrowed in an icy glower.

Sans shrank away from his brother's fury. "i-i- yes. i did attack them. but they're not dead. i brought them here!"

Papyrus set his hand on Frisk's chest to draw out their soul. It was near to the breaking point.

" _Frisk- Attack 15, Defense 15. HP .5/20. Blind. Determined to SAVE monsters."_

The bigger skeleton hissed, "THEY'RE NEARLY DEAD!"

"i-i know, boss. that's why i brought them here," Sans squeaked.

Papyrus gently unwrapped the towel and pulled up their ruined shirt to see the ghastly mess of torn muscle, broken bone, and torn skin. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" he asked in a slow, constricted voice.

"f-fought them."

Flowey glowered at Sans and turned to Papyrus. "He killed them after they offered him mercy. It's was an off-guard kill, the bastard."

Papyrus wrapped up Frisk in the towel and blanket again. "YES. THAT WAS A BASTARD MOVE. WELL, I CAN'T FIX THEM. DR. ALPHYS CAN, THOUGH."

Flowey shook his head. "No! We don't need to contact her. Put me on the ground. Do _not_ move them!" Without hesitation, Papyrus took Flowey's backpack and set it on the ground outside. Flowey took himself out and sunk into snow.

Chara sat down on the ground before Frisk. _"Frisk. You are going to be alright. Just stay determined."_

Frisk smiled in the slightest. "Sta… ay… De… ter… mi… in… ed..."

"DID YOU JUST SAY SOMETHING?" Papyrus prompted.

Frisk's gaze flicked up to Papyrus. "Ye… es…"

Chara set their hand on Frisk's chest _. "Try not to move, alright. You're very weak. You're doing all you can to keep yourself together. So, any extra stress will just make you worse, okay?"_

"YOU ARE HERE, AT OUR HOUSE," Papyrus explained. "YOU ARE INJURED, BUT WE WILL BE GETTING HELP FOR YOU. YOUR FLOWER CURRENTLY ISN'T WITH US. HE IS TRYING TO FIND SOME HELP. IF WORSE COMES TO WORSE, WE WILL BE TAKING YOU TO DR. ALPHYS."

"T… or… i… el…" Frisk mumbled.

"DR. ALPHYS. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THEIR NAME? WHO IS TORIEL?"

"Mo… om… fix… es… ev… ery… thi… ing…"

"TORIEL?" Papyrus prompted. "IS THAT YOUR MOTHER'S NAME? WELL, WE HAVE NOT SEEN YOUR MOTHER. CAN SHE FIX YOU? WHERE IS SHE?"

"Ru… ins…"

"THE RUINS? BUT THE RUINS HAVE BEEN SEALED SINCE PRIOR TO OUR FATHER'S LIFE!"

"that's where they came from," Sans stated. "maybe they got locked out or something. maybe her mom's still there."

Papyrus lowered his voice and stepped back. "SANS. IF THEIR MOTHER WAS THERE, SHE'D HAVE COME OUT BY NOW."

"right. do they have a phone number or somethin'?"

Papyrus hesitated and went back to Frisk. "DO YOU KNOW TORIEL'S PHONE NUMBER?"

Frisk opened their eyes. "my… pho… one…"

Papyrus took their phone out of their bag and looked through it. There were only two contacts: Toriel and Papyrus. However, Dr. Alphys' number was in the 'recently called' list in multiple places.

 _Briiing… briiing… briiing… briiing… briiing…_ Nobody answered.

Papyrus frowned and typed the same number into his phone. He got the same response. Sans copied him. He failed as well.

"Di… dn't… an… swe… er…?"

Papyrus shook his head. "BUT THE PHONE ISN'T DEAD. THAT MEANS SHE STILL HAS IT. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SHE CALLS BACK."

Frisk's smile widened. "Tha… ank… yo… ou… Wa… ant… To… ori… el… Fi… ix… ev… ev… ery… yth… i… ing…"

" _You should stop talking,"_ Chara advised. _"It's really not good for you."_

"Wa… ant… to… ta… alk…" Frisk muttered.

" _No."_ Chara set both hands on Frisk's chest. _"Stop talking."_ Chara's body phased into Frisk's. Their eyes glinted scarlet and shut. "Ca… n't… ta… lk… any… more… goo… ood… ni… ght…" Their voice had a bit more energy in it. _"I'm keeping your soul stable using my own energy, okay? Maybe, over time, I can even mend you. But this is going to take a lot on my part. That means concentration. So, I can't fight against you, okay? Don't fight me."_

" _Okay,"_ Frisk sighed. _"I won't. But they look concerned…"_

" _I know,"_ Chara agreed. _"They should be."_

"FRISK! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Papyrus called. "FRISK! ANSWER ME NOW! CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME? HUMAN! YOU CAN'T GO TO SLEEP, NOW! WE NEED YOU TO TALK TO US!" Papyrus stopped and sighed. With that, he got to his feet and turned to his brother. "SANS GASTER. YOU DID THIS."

Immediately, Sans' eyes went wide as orbs and he took a few steps back. He stuttered but couldn't come up with anything coherent to say.

Papyrus took one step forward. Sans skittered three steps back. Unfortunately for him, he was now against the wall. "EVEN WHEN THEY GAVE YOU MERCY? THAT MEANS THEY WERE CLOSE ENOUGH TO YOU THAT YOU WERE NO LONGER FIGHTING THEM. THAT MEANS THAT THEY COMPLTELY TRUSTED YOU NOT TO HURT THEM."

Sans shrank back into his hoodie. "y-y-yes b-b-boss. i-i-i-it was a m-mistake, r-r-really. i-i b-brought them b-b-back, though!"

" _NEARLY DEAD!_ " Papyrus roared. He was now immediately in front of his smaller brother. "NEARLY _DEAD!_ DRAGGING THEIR NEAR LIFELESS BODY BACK HERE DOES YOU NOTHING."

Frisk whimpered, _"N-no! He's going to hurt him! Let me come back!"_

" _No."_ Chara stated, steadfast and unyielding. Their grip on Frisk's soul did not waver. _"This is none of your concern. Sans nearly killed you. Whatever he gets, he deserves."_

" _You can't say that."_ Frisk's voice was defeated. A hard _clunk_ and a yelp signified Papyrus hitting his brother across the head. _"No! Please! Chara, I'm begging you. Let me talk to him! I-I-I'll tell him it wasn't Sans' fault. It was my fault. Really! Let me go! PLEASE! Just let me go!"_

" _No."_ Chara stated and gritted their teeth. _"No! I'm keeping you here, Frisk. What can you possibly do, anyway? Your whimpering won't be heard over his."_

" _P-please, Chara… please… I…"_ Papyrus barked something. Sans whimpered a tiny reply. _"Chara! Oh my God he'll hurt him! Please!"_

" _No."_ Chara stated simply. _"I told you no and I mean it."_

Papyrus was viciously berating his smaller brother. Chara kept their eyes closed and concentration on their soul. Frisk stated, _"You can't think this is right."_

" _I do,"_ Chara stated. _"I can think what I wish. Right now, I_ think _I need to keep you alive. Anything you attempt to do will only harm you further."_

" _Let me go!"_ Frisk barked. They felt a very firm push in their subconscious. Chara didn't give.

" _No. Frisk, please. You're worrying yourself. Do you want me to put you to sleep?"_

" _No! Let me go!"_

" _Okay."_ Chara took a deep breath. _"If it helps you."_ They were forced into sleeping.

Frisk woke up. Chara stood beside them. Frisk took a deep breath and looked around. Instead of the green and beige and black blurs of the living room, they were in a sterile white and gray place. Beeps and whirs surrounded them. A little green and gold object was in a blue thing on a sort of bedside table beside them. "F-Flowey?"

The green-gold thing moved. "Frisk! You're awake!"

Frisk attempted to move but hesitated. Their ruined shirt was not on them, for one. They instead wore bright white gauze. Stitches itched at them underneath. "Wh… where am I?" There was a bit more strength in Frisk's voice.

"Dr. Alphys' lab," Flowey replied. "Toriel… um… isn't coming."

Frisk relaxed with a sigh. "Oh. Where's everyone else?"

"By everyone else, you mean that smiley trashbag and his big brother?" Flowey prompted. "Yeah. Not here. Captain Undyne _nearly_ speared them for missing work… and all this. So, they're out. Dr. Alphys isn't around. She ran some tests on you. Apparently, your determination is extraordinarily strong. So, she, uh, took some from your soul. Well, I say 'took' but it apparently replenishes itself."

"How long will I be here?" Frisk prompted.

"Pfft. Not long," Flowey replied. Although his voice was tough and uncaring, Frisk could feel the fear hidden beneath it.

"Flowey. It's okay. I'm not dead. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Hurt me?" Flowey echoed.

"Yeah." Frisk sat up. The pain they felt before was numbed almost into nonexistence. "You're really scared of this place." They smiled. "But it's okay. I won't let anyone hurt you. Or, uh, me I guess?" They chuckled and looked about. "So, what's with all this? I'm normally attached to wires and stuff by now. I mean, that's what happened last time."

"Last time?"

"Yeah. I broke my leg when I was little," Frisk replied. "It… was bad. They straightened me out, put me in stitches, and wrapped me up. But, uh, they'd put a bunch of wires and stuff in me."

"I guess magic?" Flowey answered. "I mean, humans don't normally have magic, right? So, maybe it's that. Or it's the determination substitute Dr. Alphys gave you to help you out a bit."

"Awake?" Dr. Alphys' monotonous voice came from around a corner. The reptilian scientist stopped beside their bed. Her glasses glinted in the light. "You're sitting up."

Frisk nodded. "I am. And I am. Why? Is that bad?"

"Waking up is good. That means the substitute I gave you pulled you out of your comatose state. Sitting up is not. Your chest and back are injured. I managed to arrange your bones and flesh in the way that they are supposed to be in. One of your ribs was already cracked from an old injury so I thought I'd fix that, too. The drugs I gave you were not meant to allow you to move around without pain. They were meant to relax you out of hurting yourself subconsciously. Now that you're awake, and your vitals have stabilized, I'll be using healing magic on you." Dr. Alphys approached them and set a hand on their back and their chest. Her fingers sparkled in vibrant green light and her nails glowed. The pain ended. The stitches vanished.

Frisk touched their hand to their chest. "Huh…?"

"The stitches are temporary," Dr. Alphys stated and began working with the bandages. "These are not. I have found a replacement shirt for you to wear. The only one your size was in King Asgore's house. If you don't tell him, I'm sure he won't mind." She cut something and unraveled the bandages. Eventually, the pink splotched bandages were removed. The shirt provided to them was deep scarlet with one maroon stripe around the chest. It looked exactly like the coat. The cloth felt nice against their skin. Their old shirt had been pretty dirty, anyway.

"Do you know where my coat is?" Frisk prompted.

"Gone," Dr. Alphys replied. "Just like your shirt."

Frisk frowned. "What about my bag?"

"Here." Dr. Alphys put the bandages in some sort of trash can and set their bag on the table. "Sans left a… _gift_ for you. He apologizes for his error. You are free to leave my laboratory now. The door is just around that corner." Dr. Alphys pointed to some place around the corner.

"Okay. Thank you!" Frisk put on their bag, and then their backpack, and jumped off the operating table. They gasped and wobbled as they weren't quite good on their feet. After a few breaths, they straightened themselves out and walked away. The door was easily found. When they left the lab, they found themselves back in that large room that connected to the escalators to the scientist's room. That meant that the chain of elevators leading to the castle was right outside.

Frisk stopped beside the elevator and felt around the outside of their bag. The inside was completely filled with dirt for Flowey. However, there were pockets around the edge. "Flowey? Can you help me out, please?"

Flowey hesitated, groaned, and pulled something out of the front pocket with his vine. Frisk took it in their hands and rubbed the surface of it with one of their fingers. "What is it?"

Flowey gave a short huff. "It's a gift from that smiley trashbag. It's just a stupid skull-looking thing. Nothing really."

Chara phased into Frisk's body. Their eyes glimmered scarlet. The object in their hand was indeed in the shape of a skull. But it wasn't just any type of skull. It was in the shape of a Gaster Blaster. It was just large enough to fit in their hand but small enough to close their fist around it. The jaws of the petrified device were together so that they couldn't fall off. A note fell out from it.

" _In case you find yourself in trouble, pinch its eyes. It's not a toy. Don't play with it,_ _"_ Chara read aloud.

"Oh, that's so nice of him!" Frisk cooed and closed their hand around it. "I won't play with it. I'll keep it with me forever." Their hand gently closed around it. Chara let go of them. After a few moments of thought, the young human gasped. "Oh! Maybe I can combine this with Captain Undyne's necklace and Chara's!"

"Huh?" Flowey prompted.

"Yeah. They can be like charms," Frisk replied. "The heart goes in the center. Then the spear is to the right and the blaster is the left. You know, because Captain Undyne is right-handed but Sans is left-handed. Or, at least, his attacks are."

Flowey stared at them in apprehension. "I don't think they would even fit on the necklace."

"Then we can add the skull to Captain Undyne's necklace and put it them next to each other!"

Flowey sighed. "You are determined. Fine. Let me do it." Flowey untied Captain Undyne's necklace, looped the blaster through it, and tied it behind Frisk's neck again. Chara's cyan heart locket was in the center. Below it, the spear of Captain Undyne's necklace touched its right and Sans' Gaster Blaster was to its left. An upside down yellow heart charm was beside the spear. "And, uh, the doctor gave that to you, too. She just didn't tell you."

"Thank you so much, Flowey!" Frisk purred.

"Yeah, yeah. It's the least I can do for you, Frisk." Flowey smiled.

"Aw! We should be getting to the castle now. Oh! Wait!" Frisk took out their phone. "Hey, Papyrus? This is Frisk."

"FR- HUMAN! YOU ARE AWAKE! ARE YOU STILL IN THE LAB?"

"No," Frisk replied. "Flowey I are heading to the castle. We _really_ need to talk to the king as soon as possible. But, um, since I'm talking to you… where's Sans?"

"IN THE FOREST OF SNOWDIN, AT HIS STATION," Papyrus answered at once. There was bitterness in his tone.

"Yeah, um…" Frisk thought for a moment. "I know that you're mad at him… heh. Flowey is, too. But, uh, I just want to ask you to… stop being mad at him? Oh goodness. Um, I mean: to try and forgive him?"

"HE NEARLY KILLED YOU."

"Can't you predict me?" Frisk prompted. "I'm sorry. I was talking with Sans, though. Before uh… before he took me to his- the house. He sort of misses you."

"MISSES ME? WE LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE."

Frisk sat down outside of the elevator. "I know. But… he misses being your brother. Um, I don't know what happened, but your brother feels left out. I think that through all this fighting, he might just want to be a brother again? I don't know. It might just be me. But, uh, could you try that, please? I don't know what siblings act like here. But I know my siblings like talking to each other. So, maybe, um, talk to him?"

There was a silence on the other end of the phone. Frisk grew more and more tense as silence continued. Oh no. Maybe they shouldn't say that. Oh, how could they be so stupid? They were much to confrontational! Papyrus spoke up before they could, "YOU ARE A COMPASSIONATE CHILD. I AM STILL SURPRISED BY YOU. I WILL CONSIDER WHAT YOU SAID. GOOD LUCK WITH THE KING." _Click._

Frisk stared at the phone and sighed. They put it away and walked into the elevator. Flowey didn't even speak.


	33. Kingdom- Justice's Burn

Chapter Four

 _Justice's Burn_

Eventually, Frisk got to trot back New Home and into the judgement hall. "Oh! I should get the pie." Frisk turned and trotted down the corridor. The slice of pie was still on the ground. They gently put it away. They left the judgment room.

"A sign! What's it say?" Frisk prompted. At the end of the hallway, a sign hung beside the doorway.

"'Throne room.'" Flowey nodded. "Yep. Just about it. Let's go."

Frisk smiled and took a deep breath. "This is it, Flowey!" They walked in.

The throne room was very pretty. Green leaves and vines snaked around the edges of the room and the walls. One throne was in the center. A second was pushed up against a dark corner with a blanket over it. Most of the room was dominated by flowers. Golden flowers brought the room to life. Yet this room's beauty could not be truly appreciated for the bulk of their attention was stolen by the sole occupant of the room.

Sitting in a giant throne before them was an absolute giant. A cape as tall as Toriel fluttered over his feet. The cape itself was black, though red embroidery brought depth to it. Two large, deep scarlet pauldrons were set on the shoulders of the king. The king's long mane of rustled, dark hair fell over his shoulders. The only thing to part his mane were two massive goat horns curled up and back over his head. The horns themselves were a dark grayish brown, which brought no contrast to his hair and long, straggly beard. However, it did bring contrast to his stark white fur. His deep maroon eyes couldn't be seen as his head was bent forward and masked by his long, dark hair. "Oh? Is someone there?" the monster's deep voice was a compliment to his bulk. He raised his head. His deep maroon eyes were deepened by the bags under his eyes. "Howdy!" he greeted in a heavy voice with a large, strained smile. "How may I…?" His fanged smile fell. "Oh. You are… not what I expected." His dark eyes traveled over the shirt that Frisk wore and the heart locket that gleamed over their chest. His tired gaze rested on their eyes, the only part of their physical appearance that did not remind him of his long dead child. "So, he failed. That will be dealt with later. You know what we must do."

Frisk bowed their head. "I do."

"When you are ready, follow me to the next room." King Asgore heaved himself out of his throne and walked through the throne room and out of the doorway at the end.

Frisk looked at Flowey. The flower nodded. The young human took a deep breath. "This is it. Let's make history." Frisk walked out into the next room. It was a small, empty, gray room devoid of life or color. King Asgore stood in the center.

"Tense, isn't it? It always is. You always feel the electric crackle before the strike." King Asgore turned and walked down a short hallway. It ended after a few yards. An intricate doorway faced the other end. He stood before it. "Child…" he turned his dark gaze on Frisk and Flowey. "If you have any unfinished business… do it now." With that, he swept into the next room.

"Frisk… Frisk, that's the barrier," Flowey stated. "The barrier is in that room."

Frisk nodded, touched the yellow sparkled beside the door, and entered the room. Black and white swirled around them. Stripes of black followed stripes of white as they got smaller and smaller as if running into the distance. Black followed white. White followed black.

King Asgore stared at the barrier. "This is the barrier. If… if by chance you have any unfinished business, do it now."

Frisk stared up into his dark eyes. Pain and depression was hidden beneath a dark mask of emotionlessness. The young human gave him a nod. Their heart locket turned red. "I… I am ready."

"…I see. This is it, then." King Asgore turned around. Seven containers rose from the ground. All but one held a human soul of all types of colors- cyan, blue, green, purple, yellow, and gold. The only color missing was red. Frisk's red soul appeared before their chest.

" _Twilight spills through the barrier. Your journey is finally over. You are filled with determination."_

"Human…" King Asgore opened his eyes and gave them a hopeful smile. "It was nice to meet you." His smile vanished and he bowed his head. "Goodbye." His hand flashed out from under his cape. The black and red-embroidered fabric fluttered back and revealed not only part of King Asgore's armored body, but a giant red trident. A heavy snort came from his nostrils and he raised his trident. Frisk flinched. The trident came down. They could hear Chara gasp. Frisk spun around.

Chara, visible to only Frisk, knelt beside them, a hand over their chest. Chara held up a hand. A box reading 'FIGHT' glimmered in golden letters. Chara closed their hand and the word evaporated. 'ACT' appeared. They closed their hand and it vanished. 'ITEM' appeared in complete clarity and vanished as well. However, when Chara attempted to summon 'MERCY', it failed. Tiny scraps of gold hovered and then fizzled out over Chara's hand. The way behind them was now sealed by a force-field barrier. The way before them was blocked. Frisk could not leave. Frisk couldn't run away. Frisk couldn't spare him.

"Please, King Asgore! We don't have to fight." Frisk insisted in a quiet voice. Their soul turned a bright shade of purple. King Asgore's hands trembled for a moment before he gained his resolve. He waved his hands. Yellow fire blazed and shot at them. Flowey and Frisk worked together to get away from giant balls of fire. "I don't want to fight you!"

King Asgore's breathing got funny for a moment. Fire swirled around them in a twirling, DNA pattern. Frisk stepped within the circles not taken up by fire.

Frisk stared at King Asgore and stood up straight. "King Asgore. Stop fighting!" Recollection flashed in his eyes. King Asgore flinched and bared his teeth. His muscles weren't as tense. His hands weren't as firm on the trident. _"Strike,"_ Chara's voice breathed from beside them. Chara had gotten to their feet. However, their arm was still held by their side. _"Don't kill him, but strike."_

Frisk held onto their knife tighter and lunged. King Asgore took a step back but otherwise did not even attempt to block the blow. They hardly did anything to them. King Asgore raised his trident. His eyes flashed in red magic. Frisk gasped and shut their eyes tight. The trident, glowing in hard scarlet light, swung through them twice. King Asgore took a step back and retracted his trident.

Frisk shook their head and lunged. King Asgore took this blow. It didn't hurt him that much, but it made a deeper cut than the last one. Fire filled the room around them. Frisk and Flowey together could hardly dodge the onslaught. The battle was just blow after blow from both sides. Neither person spoke. Neither person stayed still.

Eventually, injured too much to fight, Frisk staggered back to avoid another hit from King Asgore's trident. They tripped and fell. Dirt scattered behind them.

Frisk pulled out the last thing that remained in their bag: the slice of pie. King Asgore did not move. Frisk scarfed down the slice of pie in an instant. All bleeding stopped, their bruising went away, their burns faded, and the cracks on their soul vanished. King Asgore shuttered and began to tremble upon smelling the pie. Quite suddenly, his lips pulled back to reveal pearly teeth and his eyes shut tight. His eyes flashed orange and red in the warning of his magic attack. Frisk could hardly dodge these attacks. At the last second, his trident's glow faded and struck them in the stomach. Frisk crumpled. Wheezing and gasping, they wrapped their arms around their stomach and rolled over onto their side. King Asgore stood above them. His dark, merciless gaze stared down at them. He raised his trident high. The spiked tips glistened in the twilight that poured from the barrier. "Please…" Frisk whimpered. Tears glimmered on their cheeks.

King Asgore took a deep breath. "I am sorry. This is my duty."

Frisk flinched and shut their eyes. They curled up around the pain in their stomach. Their eyes sparked red. They rolled away from the attack as King Asgore's trident dug into the ground. Without thinking, Chara lunged and cut deep into King Asgore's chest.

King Asgore gasped and collapsed onto one knee. He set his hand on torn chest. The trident he wielded clanged to the floor. Frisk immediately dropped the knife and put their hand to their mouth. Chara appeared beside them, a look of wide-eyed horror dressing their features.

"Ah… So, that is how it is…" the old king wheezed. He shut his eyes and took a steadying breath. "I remember the day after my son died. The entire underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken away from us. In a fit of anger, I declared war on the humans and vowed to kill any human that came here. I would use their souls to become godlike… and free us from this terrible prison. Then, I would destroy humanity. And let monsters rule the surface. My wife and I… disagreed on issue after issue before she, too, left my side to truly empty the kingdom I call my husk of a home. Truthfully, I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope… but I cannot take this any longer. I am a horrible king. I've grown distant with my people and allowed them to hurt themselves, to kill each other, for their hope to be put on murder, for what? I don't want this anymore. I just want my family. I want to see my children. I want my kingdom to be happy again. Please, young one. This war has gone on long enough. Take my soul, and leave this accursed place."

Chara waved her arm and held up her hand. 'MERCY' floated above it, broken but glowing. Frisk shook their head. Their locket faded to a jungle green. "No. I won't hurt you."

King Asgore's eyes opened. "After all I've done to you…" He looked up at Frisk. "You'd rather stay down here and suffer… then live outside in freedom?"

Frisk nodded.

The king smiled. "Then human, I promise that as long as you stay here, you'll be safe. We will take care of you." His gaze got a far away look to them. "We can sit in the living room, telling stories… eating butterscotch pie. I could announce to the rest of the kingdom our decision. We could be like… like a family…" King Asgore's smile faded. He shut his eyes and bowed his head. "No. That's just a fantasy, isn't it?" His gaze flicked to Frisk. "Young one… when I look at you, I'm reminded of the human that fell here long ago." The faintest of smiles crossed Chara's lips. Flowey smiled, too, through tears dripped down his cheeks. "You have the same look of hope in your eyes. There is an ancient prophecy amongst our people… One day, a savior will come from the heavens. I believe the one that was prophesized was you. Somewhere in the world outside, there must be a way to free us from our prison."

The smiles of the three children began to fade. King Asgore's tentative smile left him, too. "It pains me to give you this responsibility but… please. Take my soul and… do what I could have never done: give my people hope. Seek the truth. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a simple, happy ending… But I believe your freedom is what my son, Asriel, would have wanted. After all, that's the responsibility he and Chara, my two most beautiful children, tried to take upon themselves…" His hand left his chest. A dagger appeared from under his robes.

"NO! WAIT!" Their screams fell on deaf ears. Frisk raced to the dying king. Yet all they felt was dust as the mane of hair they grabbed vaporized. The giant man's form evaporated and dust sprinkled like rain upon the ground, over Frisk's hands, and upon their clothes. Flowey screamed and cried. Chara collapsed into themselves and wrapped her arms around her legs so that her face was hidden and Frisk couldn't see them cry. Frisk got down on one knee. Floating above the pile of dust that was once a father, a husband, a king, was an upside down, silver heart. It, like Frisk's own soul, was seen in clarity by the otherwise blind child. Eventually, it shattered.

"What will you do now?" Flowey choked. "If you go back, he'll just die again."

Frisk looked at Chara. The ghost looked away. The young human stood up. Their green locket flashed red. "I can't let him die. I don't want to watch him die, either."

"If we reset, he'll-" Flowey started.

"I know, I know," Frisk stated. "But he's doing what he's doing for the good of their people. Maybe… maybe if his people came here, then he could change. Maybe if his people told him that death was not the only option, then he wouldn't die. No one would get hurt." Frisk's smile returned. "Wh-what do you think? Is that a good idea? Will it work?"

Flowey nodded. "D-definitely! It has to!"

Chara looked up at Frisk. Their scarlet eyes glowed with a light of their own. "Do what you must, Frisk. Just please… please don't let my dad die again." They stood up and held up both hands. 'RESET' glowed in one. 'CONTINUE' glowed in the other.

"I'll do what is right. If I do something stupid, stop me. No matter what, the king must not die." Frisk's hand phased through the 'Continue' button. Frisk stared back at Chara. "And I mean _anything._ "

Frisk looked about. They put a hand to their chest. Frisk took a deep breath. "Well… let's see how everyone's doing, shall we?" Frisk turned and walked down the hallway. Flowey stayed quiet. Chara did not turn invisible again. They strode alongside Frisk. All three of the children stayed quiet as they walked through hallways, rooms, and elevators. They passed through the castle and the core.

Frisk hesitated once they were inside of the MTT resort. "…I'm kind of hungry. Flowey? Do you want to grab something to eat and rest a while?"

"Sure," Flowey replied. "But, uh, we don't have any money."

"Oh. Right. …but I have that Starfait. We can share that!"

Flowey smirked. "Sure. Where do you want to stay?"

"How about… just outside? Near the front door?" Frisk prompted.

The flower gave them a small nod. "Alright. But there aren't any seats there."

"Yeah. We can sit on the sidewalk. That's okay," the young human replied with a shrug as they walked to the end of the hotel's main room. When they got outside, they took off their backpack and sat down with their back against the wall. Flowey was set against the wall and their Starfait in their hands. They'd been given one straw per smoothie. Since Frisk hadn't used a straw on the last one they drank, they got to use two straws for the smoothie- one for Flowey, one for Frisk. Occasionally, Chara would take over so that they could have a sip of the starfait as well.

"So, why do your eyes do that?" Flowey prompted.

Chara looked up at him. He was shown in complete clarity, now. The flower's pretty head was tipped. His large, golden petals popped out from behind his face like a lion's mane, though they were tattered. His stem was slim and smooth without any thorns, leaves, or flakes to disrupt it. Frisk's eyes faded from red to cloudy brown. "Hmm? Oh. Oh! Right. Well, my spirit friend has red eyes," Frisk explained with a bright smile. "Sometimes, they take over. Sometimes it's to help me fight- like when we fought Sans. Sometimes it's so that they can feel the world. As a spirit, they can only see and hear the world around them. But when they take over me, they can feel and taste and smell the world, too. But they become mostly blind because of me. But when they concentrate their magic, they make one thing very clear. Like you! When they took over me, they could see you in perfect clarity even though everything else was blurry. That's why my eyes change sometimes. But you can't sense them when they're not possessing me."

" _Don't tell him my name, 'kay?"_ Chara requested.

Frisk nodded. "Sure thing."

"Oh. So, you _are_ talking to someone," Flowey stated. "I, uh, thought you were talking to yourself."

"I'm pretty sure everyone thought that," Frisk agreed with a small chuckle. Soon enough, they noticed that their Starfait was empty. "Oh. We ran out. …I'm bored. You wanna play a game for a bit?"

"You're bor- um, well… I don't know any games that don't involve using my arms or legs," Flowey pointed out.

Chara smiled. _"He doesn't need hands or legs for prank-calling."_

"Prank-calling?" Frisk echoed.

" _Yeah. Where you call someone, and play a prank on them. Like, joke with them and stuff."_

"Oh. Hey, Flowey! They suggested we prank call someone," Frisk piped up. "I don't know what that is. It's like calling someone and telling them a joke, right?"

Flowey nodded. "Yeah. No one does it here. Well, maybe some people but I've never seen it. My friend taught it to me when we were kids," Flowey chuckled. His smile wavered.

Frisk hesitated and took out their phone. "Well! What numbers do we press?"

"Wait! We have to think of something to say," Flowey pointed out.

"Um… I don't know." Frisk shrugged. "I've never done that before. …or really called anyone before I came here."

Flowey thought for a moment. "Hmm… how about… we call a random number, and then make some awful jokes?"

Frisk smiled and handed the phone to Flowey. "Um… okay! Just as long as we're not mean. Okay?"

"Oh of course!" Flowey took the phone in his vine and tapped in a few random numbers. "I'll go first."

 _Brriiiiing. Briiing. Brii-_ "Hello?" a gruff, low voice answered the phone.

Flowey asked in a deep voice that was quite the opposite of his own, "Hello! This is the repair company you called."

"Repair…? I never called you!" the monster huffed.

"Are you sure?" Flowey prompted. "Well then, we might have the wrong number. But first: is your refrigerator running?"

"Yeah."

"Then you better catch it," Flowey advised. Frisk bit their tongue to keep from snickering.

"WHO THE HELL IS THIS?!" the monster snarled. "God damn kids!"

Flowey ended the call. The two burst out into laughter. After Flowey calmed down enough to talk, they called another person. After about three more calls, all ending with a frustrated remark about modern kids, Frisk took the phone. "Let me try!" They tapped in a few random numbers and held the phone down for both of them to hear.

 _Briiing! Briiiing! Brii-_ "Hello?" A familiar, rough voice answered. Frisk's, Flowey's, and Chara's smiles froze. They recognized this voice.

In the background, another familiar voice piped up, "WHO'S THAT?"

"I don't know!" Captain Undyne called back. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Chara took over Frisk. They prompted in a hard, light voice unlike Frisk's. "Uh, C-Captain? Captain Undyne? I apologize severely! This is the wrong number!" They shut off the call. Chara let go.

"Well. I think we should find something else to do," Frisk stated.

Flowey nodded. "Yeah…"

Frisk shrugged, put their backpack back on, and strolled away from the restaurant. "What should we do now?" Frisk prompted as they came to a stop near the elevators.

"We really should be meeting other monsters to gather everyone up…" Flowey replied and then smiled. "Or we can have fun putting echo flowers near people's doors!"

"Yeah!" Frisk squeaked and ran into the elevator.

Before they could get to the ferry for Waterfall, they run into a black and gold and red body. Frisk gasped and took a few dizzy steps backward. Flowey wrapped his vines around their ankles and a rock nearby to keep them steady. Frisk rubbed their head and winced. "Oh no! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there. Are you okay?"

Sans held up his hand. "nah, kid. you okay?"

Frisk's features lit up. "Sans! Yeah, I'm okay! What's up with you?"

"definitely not prank-calling people," Sans sneered.

Frisk looked at him in surprise. "Huh? I didn't know you were there!"

"well, i was kinda was," Sans smirked. "but, uh, as much as i'd love to see you try and prank people, leave that up to me, 'kay? wouldn't want to piss off any monster, hmm?"

"Oh. Right." Frisk hesitated and the smiled. "How are you today?"

"i'm… actually doin' pretty well." Sans' smile turned into a grin. "i just wanted to say thanks. not too many monsters show kindness, i mean. you are, uh, a good kid."

Frisk beamed. "Oh, you don't have to thank me! I just told Pap what I thought. He did the rest on his own. Heh. Your brother really does love you."

Sans shut his eyes. "yeah. he's the coolest, alright."

 _Briiing! Briiing! Briii-_ "Hello? This is Frisk."

"HOWDY, FRISK!" Papyrus greeted. "YOU ARE A VERY GOOD FRIEND. YOU KNOW HOW TO TREAT OTHER FRIENDS, RIGHT?"

"Yeah! Did you need any help?" Frisk prompted. Flowey gave them a questioning look. Frisk shrugged.

"YOU COULD, EH, SAY THAT. SAY, I HAVE A GREAT IDEA! WHY DON'T YOU MEET DR. ALPHYS AT HER LAB? SHE, UH, WON'T COME OUT OF HER LAB. SO, YOU MIGHT TALK TO HER! WHILE SHE'S THERE!" Papyrus suggested.

"Oh dear! What happened?" Frisk prompted, and put a hand to their mouth.

"TRUTHFULLY, WE DON'T KNOW," Papyrus admitted. "SHE WENT ON A DATE WITH CAPTAIN UNDYNE AND LEFT EARLY."

"Yeah," Captain Undyne's voice came out of the receiver. There was a small huff from Papyrus as the Captain of the Royal Guard stole his phone. "I just don't get it! She just started acting weird. We were at our home and you came up somehow. We were talking about souls and integrity and such. We got to talking about theorizing about the effects of determination with monsters. She started freaking out and left. She locked her lab door! She won't even let _me_ in!"

"Oh no. That sounds horrible. If she won't let _you_ in, why would she let me?" Frisk prompted.

"She's super interested in souls and determination. Maybe if you offered to help her, then you could find out what's wrong," Captain Undyne proposed.

"Oh. Um… I don't know anything about souls. I don't know how _I'd_ be able to help her. But I'll try! I promise I'll get to her somehow!" Frisk puffed out their chest. Their locket, now a pretty shade of red, glinted on their chest.

There was a relieved sigh from the other side of the phone. "You better, punk!"

"GOOD! WE'LL SEE YOU SOON, THEN. LATER. GOODBYE." _Click._

Flowey raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

Frisk shrugged. "Maybe, um, Dr. Alphys got nervous about something in her lab. I don't know. Hey, Sans! Could you help us? Maybe you can teleport into her lab or something."

"nah, kid. i'd rather not." Sans shook his head. "doc usually lets me in. but last time i tried getting in there while she was in a mood, she nearly dusted me. but i'm sure you'll be fine."

Flowey gave him a blank look. "You're a coward."

"Um! Well, thank you, anyway!" Frisk waved to him and walked away. They were soon outside Dr. Alphys' lab. The door opened for them. Frisk recoiled in surprise. The lights were off so the only light came from the door to the outside and the bathroom. Curious, Frisk approached the light.

"Wait!" Flowey looked down at their feet. "There's a paper!"

"Really?" Frisk felt the floor with their hand before picking up a note. "What does it say?"

"Wow this is terrible handwriting. 'I'm sorry for running away but I'" Flowey paused. There was quite a bit of scribbling and crossing out. "'Thank you for your help. But you can't just make my problems disappear. It's time to stop lying. It's time to become a better person. I want this to be very clear: this is no one's problem but mine. The elevator north of this note is open. If you want to know the truth, then use the elevator. See who I really am. I'm sorry,'" Flowey read aloud. "That's all she wrote."

"Oh. Oh dear. Well then… we have to help." Frisk turned and strolled into the elevator.

"F-Frisk, I don't know about this," Flowey stated. "This doesn't seem right."

"Relax. If Dr. Alphys came down here, then it's probably not lethal." Frisk pressed the button. The elevator doors closed.

Red lights began to flash. An intercom cried, "WARNING! WARNING! EMERGENCY! EM TETHER STABILITY LOST! ALTITUDE DROPPING!"

Frisk and Flowey both screamed in absolute panic as the elevator, shuttering and blaring red, dropped.

…

 _CRASH!_


	34. Kingdom- True Lab

Chapter Five

 _True Lab_

Frisk groaned and opened their eyes. The elevator was very dark. The doors were open so light, dim and green, flowed into the elevator. Chara sat beside them. _"You've been asleep for half an hour. You are now in the True Lab."_

"True Lab?" Frisk mumbled and crawled to their knees. "Flowey?" There was no response. "Flowey? Oh my God! Flowey are you okay?!" Frisk tore their backpack from their back and looked at Flowey. Currently, he was hiding inside the backpack. He trembled and whimpered and sniffled. "Flowey? Flowey we're okay. We're okay. I promise. We're okay." Their hand brushed over his tattered petals and the back of his head. "We're okay. We're alive."

Flowey whimpered and shied away.

"We're fine. I promise." Frisk hugged the backpack and set their cheek on Flowey's head. "We'll get out of here, okay? Come on." Frisk put the backpack on again and stood up. Their locket turned a deep shade of orange. Chara stood up as well. "Let's see if we can find a way out. Hey, Flowey? Want to talk about where we'll go for that dinner on the surface?"

Flowey didn't respond.

As Frisk walked they chattered on, "Well, there's this really good pizza joint near the edge of the city. It's really nice."

Green began to glow on the wall next to them. Frisk hesitated. A sign with green words glowed beside them. "Hey, Flowey? There's a sign here. Could you read it for me?"

"…"

Chara looked at the sign and read aloud, _"'Entry Number 1: This is it… time to do what the King has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the SOUL.'"_ There was another one beside that. _"'Entry Number 2: The barrier is locked by SOUL power. Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. SOUL power can only be derived from what was once living. So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now… the SOULs of monsters.'"_ There was a third. _"'Entry Number 3: But extracting a SOUL from a living monster would require an incredible amount of power. Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the SOUL's host. And, unlike the persistent SOULs of humans… the SOULs of monsters disappear immediately upon death. If only I could make a monster's soul last…' … 'Entry Number 5: I've done it. Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human SOULs. I believe that this is what gives their SOULs the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living… the resolve to change fate. Let's call this power… Determination.'"_

Frisk stared at the glowing screen. So, that's what determination was- or, rather, what it meant. Frisk turned and continued down a bend in the hallway. Eventually, they got to a small room. A sparkle was near the door. They could feel Chara's energy flow through it. However, Chara didn't say a word. A large door with three colored circles on it dominated the opposite wall. A vending machine was beside it. Two hallways sprouted from either wall. Frisk knelt beside a tattered note. "Flowey? Can you read this?" The flower didn't respond.

" _It's so tattered, most of it is illegible. 'elevator… lost power… enter the center door.' That's all that could be read."_

Frisk got up and walked to the right hallway. It wasn't very long. It ended in a door with a red panel on the front. It couldn't be opened. The young human turned and walked around to the other side. There, they found another screen.

"' _King ASGORE asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had 'fallen down'. Their bodies came in today. They're still comatose. And soon, they'll all turn into dust… But what happens when I inject 'determination' into them? If their souls persist after they perish, then… Freedom might be closer than we all thought.'"_

Frisk hesitated. "Can monsters… have determination? It sounds like they don't. I mean, I always thought that it was something everyone had."

Chara shook their head. _"No, Frisk. Only humans can create and handle determination. That's what makes our souls so powerful, you know- and why we're needed."_

"Oh." Frisk left the hallway and came to a small, long room. Three operating tables filled most of the room. A glowing screen with green letters shone beside it. Frisk approached the thing in curiosity. They accidently touched the bed. They recoiled in disgust and surprise. It was sticky.

"' _Entry Number 9: things aren't going well. none of the bodies have turned to dust, so I can't get the SOULs. i told the families that i would give the dust back for the funerals. people are starting to ask me what's wrong. what do i do?'"_

Frisk turned and walked around to the other side of the room. Three sinks sat on the wall opposite two tables. Frisk touched the sinks. They were surprisingly dry. They turned on the one closest to the wall. Pure, clean water rushed from the facet. They turned it off. The second facet yielded the same results. The third facet… did not. White goop slithered out of the drain. Frisk took a step back. The sink filled and then overfilled with the white goop. Finally, the sink stopped spilling out the white stuff. A creature emerged from the white muck.

Frisk's soul appeared before them. They took a few steps back. Three… creatures floated before them. What were they? All of them looked to be a giant, morphing amalgamation of faces with a tail slithering out of the back of the 'head'. All three said nothing and did nothing but shift and change as if they were made by half-melted gelatin.

Frisk turned to Chara. The ghost shrugged. _"I know nothing of these creatures."_

Frisk turned back to them. When they attempted to speak, all that came out of their multiple faces was computer or printer noise. Then, they vanished. They began to reappear in random places. White circles would glow from the floor and they would spring out. Frisk was grimly reminded of Captain Undyne's fighting.

Once they gave up their turn, the three blobs appeared before them again. "They can't speak…" Frisk muttered. "Can they talk just not speak well?" They took out their phone.

Immediately, voices wheezed from the receiver. "Come join the fun."

The three blobs vanished and resumed their attack of jumping out of the floor.

Once the attack was over, Frisk turned to Chara. _"Memoryheads. That's all I know."_

"Come join the fun!" "It's a real get together." The memoryheads attacked them again.

Frisk dodged their attacks as best they could. Flowey was still no help. Once the three appeared in their place, Frisk shook their head. "No. I do not want to join you."

"That's a shame…" The memoryheads stared at them and then vanished.

Frisk put a hand to their chest. "That was… an encounter. What even were they? Where they monsters?"

Chara shrugged. _"I've never met monsters like them. There's a red key in the sink."_

"Huh?" Frisk turned back to the sink. Indeed, a red key glinted from within. They took it and put it on their keychain. "Hopefully this is useful in the future."

There was a room above them. A large device with two cables in the top and two in the bottom melted into the wall was in the room. A red keyhole glimmered in dull light. A note lay on the ground. _"'drain… dropped it…' That's all that I could make out.'"_

Frisk stuck the red key into the keyhole. _Click!_ The key fit perfectly. The unlocked circle of color glowed in a fresh fervor. Frisk turned and trotted out of the room and then into the hallway. The door with the four circles of color had changed. The red circle now glowed. The door near it with the red lock glowed as well. It opened upon being approached. This led them to another hallway with signs.

"' _Entry Number 12: nothing's happening. i don't know what to do. i'll just keep injecting everything with 'determination'. i want this to work.' … 'Entry Number 13: one of the bodies opened its eyes.'"_

"You mean… they woke up?" Frisk gasped. "But they were dying…" When they turned to Chara, the ghost just shrugged again. Frisk turned and moved forward. This time, they entered a large room filled with beds. One bed was not neat. It seemed like a comfortable bed. Frisk gave Chara a coy smile. "Should I lay on it?"

Chara gave them a blank expression. _"We're in a haunted lab, Frisk. Why?"_

"I'm doing it." Frisk took off the backpack and lay down. They set the backpack in front of them. Flowey was still hiding. If he wasn't, they'd be able to see each other. No. Instead, he was still cowering in the backpack.

" _Frisk. Don't. Move. A. Muscle."_

Frisk gave Flowey a questioning look as they couldn't turn around to look at Chara. A white… blob that might have been a hand grabbed the blanket that had been slid to the foot of the bed. The blob, and the arm it was attached to, brought the blanket up and over Frisk so that the cool blanket touched their ears. The creature gave them a pat on the head before vanishing.

Frisk looked back at Chara and then jumped out of bed. They brought Flowey with them. When they hit the ground, they staggered and grabbed onto the rail for balance. "What was that!?"

" _The reason you shouldn't mess around,"_ Chara pointed out.

Frisk wrinkled their nose at Chara. "Oh fine. I get your point. Are you okay, Flowey? …okay. You don't have to answer me." They gently put the backpack on and continued walking. From there, they inspected the beds. All but one bed was the same, well-made, clean bed. One bed had a large yellow key stuck under it. Frisk, satisfied, put the golden key on their keychain. They gave Chara smug smile. "I didn't die looking under the blankets." They tromped over to a sparkle.

" _Assuming that you have won an argument fills you with determination."_

Frisk laughed and wrinkled their nose at Chara before approaching the door nearby. Green letters glowed from the wall.

Chara approached it. _"'Entry Number 14: Everyone that had fallen down… has woken up. They're all walking around and talking as if nothing is wrong. I thought they were goners…?'"_

Frisk trotted out of the door and into the hall. They were almost immediately presented with another sign. This time, it was a bit to the left so they had to go down the hallway a bit to reach it.

"' _Entry Number 15: Seems like this research was a dead end… but at least we got a happy ending out of it…? I sent the SOULs back to King ASGORE and returned the vessel to his garden… and I called all of the families and told them everyone's alive. I'll send everyone back tomorrow. :)'"_

"There's an actually 'smiley face' there?" Frisk prompted. Chara nodded. "Weird. Well, at least there's a happy ending. What does the next one say?"

Chara moved over to the one farther down the hall. _"'Entry Number 16: no No NO NO NO NO NO'"_

Frisk's faint smile fell. "Oh no. Is something… wrong? We need to find the next entry."

Chara nodded. _"We do."_

A bit farther down the hall was a door. At the end was a show curtain. A shadow waved slowly back and forth. Since Frisk didn't see this, they continued to walk down the hallway. They pulled back the curtains. A green key glinted in the empty tub. Frisk took the key and fixed it to their keychain. They resumed trotting out of the small room and into the hallway.

Frisk stopped. The medium-sized room they entered had a gaping hole so large there was hardly any room to move around. A giant skull took up the entirety of the gaping hole. It was similar to a gaster blaster hooked up to all types of machines. A golden shimmer blocked the path down. So, Frisk walked up and into another room. This one was occupied by a TV, shelves of tapes, and a key-machine. This time, the key-hole was yellow- just like the one in the bed. Frisk inserted the yellow key into it. _Click!_ "What's that?" Frisk prompted and turned to the TV.

" _It's a VHS player. There are a few tapes already picked out beside it,"_ Chara informed them. _"They're labeled in a specific order. Do you want to watch them?"_

Frisk nodded. "Okay. I can't see them, but I can listen. Maybe they'll tell us more about what happened to those poor monsters who nearly died. Which is the first one? Right… here? Good!" They tapped the VHS player and slid the cartridge into the machine.

The TV turned on. There was no visual. It was much too dark in the video. There was audio, however. _"Psssst. Gorey, wake up."_ Toriel's sweet, hushed voice came out of the TV. Frisk's eyes grew round. Chara glanced at Frisk and then Flowey. Flowey raised his head and turned around to look at the dark TV.

" _Mm? What is it dear?"_ King Asgore's slow, heavy voice prompted. _"…err, and why do you have that video camera?"_

" _Shush! I want to get your reaction. Gorey, dearest. What is my favorite vegetable?"_

Chara and Flowey piped up, "Carrots!"

" _Hmmm… carrots, right?"_ King Asgore prompted.

Toriel giggled. _"No, no, no! My FAVORITE vegetable is… eda-MOM-e. …get it?"_

There was a short pause. _"Go back to bed, dear."_

" _No, no! Not yet! Hehehe. Now, if I were a dog, what breed of dog would I be?"_

" _Hmmm… I don't know, honey. What type of dog would you be?"_

" _I would be… a MOMeranian."_

" _Hohoho!"_ King Asgore laughed. _"You sure are excited to have this child."_ Chara looked at Flowey in astonishment and then back to the TV. King Asgore continued in a sly voice, _"You know… if you keep making jokes like this… one day, you could be… a famous MOMedian."_

There was a short pause. _"Well, I am going to bed."_

" _Hey! Come on, Tori! That one was funny!"_

" _Hahaha, I know. I am just teasing you. Goodnight, dear."_

" _Goodnight, honey."_

"… _oh dear. Perhaps it is too dark for the video to come out…"_

The tape popped out. Frisk put it carefully back. "That had nothing to do with this… But they seemed happy. I haven't ever heard Toriel talk like that before, or King Asgore."

" _Perhaps they're not happy now,"_ Chara suggested.

"Maybe. That's really sad. I hope we find out what happened to these people! Then, maybe once all this blows over and everyone's here, Toriel and King Asgore can meet again."

" _Maybe."_

Frisk put in the second tape. Birdsong met their ears.

" _Okay, Chara, are you ready?"_ A high-pitched, boyish voice piped up.

"Chara…?" Frisk asked and tipped their head.

" _Do your creepy face! Ahh! Hehehe! Oh. I had the lens cap on… What? You're not going to do it again…? Come on! Quite tricking me! Haha!"_ The birdsong ended.

"Who was that?" Frisk turned to Chara. They only stared at the screen with a morose look in their gaze. Flowey copied them. Frisk put in the third tap. "There are five of these. One of these is different… not that I don't want to know who these people are, though."

" _Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera!"_ The happy, boyish voice was accompanied by birdsong. There was a slight pause. Chara smiled. _"Ha! This time I got you! I left the lens cap on… on purpose! Now you're smiling for nooo reason! Hehehe!"_ There was a quiet voice in the background that Frisk couldn't quite make out. _"What? Oh, yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter… but we accidently put in buttercups instead. Yeah! Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made mom really upset. I should have laughed it off… like you did. Um, anyway, where are you going with this? Huh? Turn off the camera? Okay."_

"Buttercups…" Frisk mumbled. "Where did I hear that before? Flowey? Do you remember?"

Flowey piped up, "Wh-why don't you just put the next one in. Number four, right?"

"Okay." Frisk switched out the VHS tapes.

The birdsong was a bit fainter. _"I don't like this idea, Chara. Wh… what? N-no, I'm not… big kids don't cry. Yeah, your right. No! I'd never doubt you, Chara… Never! Y… yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone. I'll go get the flowers."_ Chara winced and looked away. Flowey had a similar reaction.

Frisk soundlessly took that tape out and put in the last one.

Toriel's soft, concerned voice was the first thing they heard. _"Chara… Can you hear me? We want you to wake up…"_

King Asgore's stern, if soft, voice continued, _"Chara! You have to stay determined! You can't give up… you are the future of humans and monsters…"_

The boy piped up, _"Psst… Chara… Please… wake up… I don't like this plan anymore. I… I… no. I said… I said I'd never doubt you. Six, right? We just have to get six… And we'll do it together, right?"_

The tape ended.

"That's what I keep hearing…" Frisk muttered. "That's who's talking to me every time I die. 'You can't give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…' or something like that. Then I wake up. What is it?" They turned to Chara. The ghost was looking at their lap. "Chara?"

" _It is the past and unimportant for this mission. You need not speak of it further,"_ Chara stated in a flat voice.

"But, Chara! I need to–"

" _Need to what?"_ Chara asked in a dry voice and narrowed their scarlet eyes at them. Frisk shut their mouth. _"You're too curious, Frisk. Get up. It's time to focus on the mission at hand."_


	35. Kingdom- Amalgamation

Chapter Six

 _Amalgamation_

Frisk got to their feet and walked out of the small room. They got to the yellow sparkle at the bottom of the room. However, upon approaching it, it changed. It melted into a white color and expanded into a humanoid shape.

Frisk's soul appeared before them. The smell of sweet lemons permeated the vicinity. The creature before them looked a bit like Shyren. It had her body. However, a thick muscled arm was folded behind its back. Three large, black bubbles formed on its melting chest. Its black, smooth head often morphed. Bubbles formed sharp, long teeth that shook. Sometimes, its head morphed so that it spiked upward and showed large, sharp eyes.

It looked like Shyren… Frisk hummed a familiar, sad tune they sang with Shyren. Lemon Bread's teeth shook. "Welcome to my special hell." A collection of so many voices spoke all around them at the exact same time. High voices, low voices, loud and soft- there was no telling them apart. The creature's mouth opened wide and it lunged. Frisk was hardly able to dodge. The only reason they could was due to the fact that one if its teeth was missing. Each time the creature bit at them, a good three times in total, the place of the missing tooth changed.

Bubbles that formed on them looked like Moldbygg… Frisk held up their hands and took a step back. Lemon Bread's teeth shake. "But nobody came." This time, candy-corn shaped teeth floated around Frisk. Orbs of red and orange shot at them. Yet they were together so it may as well have been white. That would have made it easier for them to dodge. Flowey's vines wrapped around Frisk's feet and guided them back away from the attacks. Finally, the creature stopped attacking.

It had Aaron's arm… Frisk flexed one of their arms. Lemon Bread's eyes narrow as it hesitated its attack. "I've felt this before…" Lemon bread snapped at them again. Again, they dodged. Yet it didn't seem that Lemon Bread's heart was in it. Frisk waved goodbye. Lemon Bread melted away.

"That was odd… poor thing…" Frisk muttered. They nearly left when a sign glowed beside the skull-tube machine.

Flowey looked up as they approached it. "'DT EXTRACTION MACHINE. STATUS: INACTIVE'."

"DT… is that determination?" Frisk prompted. "That sounds like it would be. If so, then… this is an odd way of getting it." The room at the end in which they attempted to enter was full of fog. They couldn't see past their own nose! So, they turned and walked back to the yellow glimmer in the bed room. Chara didn't comment. Frisk stepped back into the hallway and went to the right. The door there yielded a foggy room. However, the fog was not impenetrable. There was a giant wall of fans there. A screen glowed near the fans.

Flowey looked it over. "'Entry Number 11: now that mettaton's made it big, he never talks to me anymore. …except to ask when i'm going to finish his body. but i'm afraid if i finish his body, he won't need me anymore… then we'll never be friends ever again.'"

"If this is from Dr. Alphys, then… were they friends? They didn't act like it when they were being snarky."

"Everyone's snarky here," Flowey pointed out.

"That's true." At the end of the room, the fans stopped. There was a switch. Once it was pressed, the fog was blown away. White particles that floated about the air merged together. More and more particles joined into the growing ball until finally it dropped. When it hit the ground, it turned into a giant, six-legged dog. Its face was missing and, like all the others, seemed to be melting and shifted constantly. Black shapes under it seemed to be made of dogs, too.

Frisk hesitated and beckoned it. "Here, doggy!" The creature bounded forward, flecking a strange liquid from an orifice. It's attack as simple. It jumped into the air and barked.

Once the amalgamate stopped barking its attack, Frisk petted it. Its sticky, white pelt clung to their hand. Excited, it convulsed and then calmed. It rested its giant, melting head on their lap and began to fall asleep. Suddenly, it shot away and began climbing wildly on the walls. It barked at them again, shooting the strange attack at the cornered kid.

Once it was over, the amalgamate began to strike the wall with its claws. Frisk chucked their knife across the room. The amalgamate caught it before it hit the ground and raced back. It dropped the weapon in their hands. Its chest puffed out and melting tail wagged. They repeated this process a few times. Each time it was thrown, both party got a bit more tired. By the fourth-time Frisk received their dagger, the amalgamate stopped them from throwing it. It flopped down and leaned its dripping, amorphous body on them. Frisk petted it. The dog-creature's tail thumped the ground. It sounded like a wet mop striking the floor. They petted decisively. Suddenly, the dog calmed. Endogeny was contented. It got up and vanished.

Frisk put away their knife and shook themselves off. The white liquid that had gotten onto them vanished as well. "Aw. Poor dog. Maybe we can enter that fogged room, now!"

"I really don't want to," Flowey groaned. "But there's probably another color-lock in there."

Frisk walked carefully down the halls and around the DT extraction machine. The room that was once very foggy was clear. A line of refrigerators lined up in the room. On the wall behind them, boards began to flash.

Flowey read aloud each one in turn, "'Entry Number 19: the families keep asking me when everyone is coming home. what am i supposed to say? i don't even answer the phone anymore.' … 'Entry Number 20: King ASGORE left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry, one about this cute teacup he found that looked like me. thanks king asgore.' … 'Entry Number 21: i spend all my time at the garbage dump now. it's my element.' That's it."

Frisk looked about at the refrigerators. There was a door at the end of the room. However, they couldn't leave just yet. They walked around and attempted to open the closest fridge. It was empty. Frisk turned and nearly walked away. However, they found that they couldn't. Their soul beat before their chest. They whipped around. Standing before them was a creature like Snow Drake. She moved her dripping wings and opened her beak. Two faces on either side of her face opened and closed their mouths, too. They didn't make a sound. A depression fell over them so tangible that it made the room cold. She was so _sad._

"Um… why couldn't the two monsters cross the ravine? There was _snow_ way they could!" Frisk offered with a small chuckle.

Her expression started to shift. "Haha… I… remem… ber…" The ice somewhere in the corner manifested into a useless attack. It didn't even drift toward them. The poor attack melted away.

"So, I guess you think my puns are _ice?_ " Frisk tried.

Her expression changed more. They could see her beak beginning to turn up into a smile. "Haha… thank… you…" Snowflakes drifted around them for a few moments before melting.

"Hehe. I'm _snow_ glad I could help."

She was completely calm, now. The amalgamate mother of snow drake fluttered and vanished. In her wake was a small blue key.

Frisk picked it up and traveled into the last room. It was simply a small room with a key-machine in it. This one was green. It didn't take them that long to return to the bed room. When they did, they found another hallway. This one led into a long room. One side of the room was covered almost completely by mirrors. The pattern was broken in places to allow room for the message boards. The other side was a very long table full of potted yellow flowers. Flowey vanished into the backpack. Frisk stopped and looked back. "Flowey? Hey, Flowey? Are you okay? Is something wrong here?"

They started to take off their backpack but yelped in pain as a barbed vine smacked their hand away.

"N-NO! NO! No. Please don't… just, please don't let go."

Frisk let their hand fall by their side. "Okay. I won't let anything hurt you, Flowey. I hope you know that." Flowey didn't respond.

Chara walked to their other side and piped up, _"'Entry Number 7: We'll need a vessel to house the monster SOULs when the time comes. After all, a monster cannot absorb the SOULs of other monsters. Just as a human cannot absorb a human SOUL… So then… what about something that's neither human nor monster?' … 'Entry Number 10: experiments on the vessels are a failure. it doesn't seem to be any different than the control cases. whatever. they're a hassle to work with anyway. the seeds just stick to you and won't let go'"_

A door was at the end of the hallway. A long wall of mirrors was between it and the screen. The table full of flowers ended just about there. Frisk continued through the hall. They gasped in shock as their soul pattered and appeared before them. Melting in from above came a giant, bird-like creature. Its body and wings were small with long legs. But its neck was extremely long and held a large head. Occasionally, it's beak would switch sides of its head. When it blinked, it had teeth instead of eye lashes.

Its wings… those wings were shaped like Whimsalot. Frisk knelt before it and held their hands together. "Please, Bird. Don't hurt us!"

The bird relaxed a bit. It opened its beak to speak. A flurry of different garbles voices saying a plethora of different, garbled words spoke to them. Another form, rounded with a large belly and round, black eyes, appeared beside it. Yet it didn't attack. A swarm of moths attacked its head. Soundlessly, the large creature fell to its knees and attempted to wave away the moths. It failed miserably. Eventually, it disappeared.

Its head was spikey, like Final Froggit's… Frisk held their hands together to form rings. One ring was inside the other. They held their hands behind their head and then showed them. Their hands were separate. The bird cocked its head in surprise and wonder. It tried to speak again, but it turned out as many garbled voices saying many garbled things. The moth-headed creature appeared. It took a few steps toward them. Moths flew away from the creature to attack Frisk. Without Flowey to aid them, it was significantly harder. A few cracks formed in their soul.

Its eye had teeth and eyelashes were like eyes as well… Frisk puffed up their chest. "Why are you picking on us, pigeon?"

Reaper Bird straightened up and stared at them. A look of recognition returned to its gaze. _"Someone finally gets it." "Ribbit, Ribbit." "Courage…"_ Reaper Bird vanished.

Frisk walked away. The small room held only a key-machine. This one was blue. _Click!_ The blue key fit perfectly.

Frisk retraced their steps. At the very beginning, the door with the four colored circles now glowed. It opened to allow them passage. It led to an elevator but with two entrances. Frisk decided to walk through the other one. Although two electric signs hung on the wall, none of them glowed. Power had been cut to them. The hall eventually led to a large room. At the end was a power generator. Cords and cables and beams filled the area behind it and even leaked into the walls around it. Frisk activated it. Machines began to whirr as electricity raced through the rest of the building. They turned to leave. Four amalgamates blocked their path. All four of the white blobs crept toward them, shifting eyes staring straight at Frisk. They gasped and backed up. Unfortunately, since their back touched the power machine, they were cornered. They could only watch as the four creatures crept closer and closer and closer until –

"Hey! Stop!" A quiet bark sounded from the entrance to the room. Dr. Alphys, a clean lab coat donned, appeared at the entrance to the room. She shuffled forward. They parted a path to Frisk and Flowey. "I got food for you guys, okay?" The four amalgamates rushed away. Dr. Alphys stared after them before turning back to Frisk. "I'm sorry. They get irritated when they don't get dinner on time. I guess they smelled food on you. Anyway! The power went off so I was trying to turn it back on. I guess you beat me to it. This was probably just a big inconvenience for you. But thank you for trying to help me. I think I owe you an explanation."

Frisk nodded. "Yes, please."

Dr. Alphys took a deep breath. "As you know, King Asgore asked me to study the nature of souls. During my research, I isolated a power called 'determination'. I injected it into monsters so that their souls would persist after death… but it failed. You see, unlike human bodies, monster bodies aren't able to handle determination. We just don't have the physical power that humans do. So, their bodies melted and lost what physicality they had. Soon enough, all the patients had melted into each other. Seeing them like this, I knew I couldn't tell their families. I was too afraid to do anymore work. Everything I've done is a failure. But now I've changed my mind. I have failed and everyone has paid the price. I won't hide it any longer. Thank you for believing in me when I couldn't even believe in myself." She turned and shuffled out of the room.

Flowey peeked out from behind Frisk's shoulder. "She's… gone? She's taking everyone away?"

"It sounds like it!" Frisk purred. "That's so good to hear. I'm sure that it won't be fun seeing their families all merged together. But at least they'll know that their families are still there. Or, at least, that they still have families at all." Frisk, Chara, and Flowey left the room. The two panels beside them glowed.

Chara piped up, _"'Entry Number 8: I've chosen a candidate. I haven't told King Asgore yet, because I want to surprise him with it… In the center of his garden, there's something special. The first golden flower that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world. It appeared just before the queen left. I wonder… what happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live?' … 'Entry Number 18: the flower's gone.'"_

Frisk stopped. "Flowey?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Were you created here?"

"Huh?" Flowey turned around to look at Frisk.

They looked back. "Is that why you're so scared of this place? Of Dr. Alphys? Because she created you here?"

Flowey looked away. "Er, it's a long story. We have to get going."

"Flowey, it's okay," Frisk soothed. "It's okay. Whatever happened… I need to know what happened."

"Why?" Flowey prompted. "Why do you have to know?"

"Because I care for you, Flowey. This whole thing… it's got some mysteries in it. You… you don't have a soul, do you?"

"No. I'm a flower, Frisk. Flowers don't have souls," Flowey pointed out.

"You mentioned Chara a few times. You mistook me for them. You knew Toriel's house. You said you helped your father after he got poisoned. You even talked during that tape! When Toriel asked about her favorite vegetable! Flowey, is there something about you that I don't know?" Frisk prompted.

"Yes. A lot of things," Flowey agreed. "But it's complicated."

"I'm your friend, Flowey. You can trust me," Frisk urged.

"I… I know. Frisk, you've been an amazing friend. But I just… don't want to talk right now. Later, okay? Give me a little bit of time, please," Flowey begged.

"Okay." Frisk turned and walked down the corridor. They entered the elevator.

"W-wait. Frisk." Flowey stopped them.

"Yeah?" Frisk prompted.

One of Flowey's vines whipped out and pressed a button. The elevator doors slammed closed. "Hold on." Frisk hardly put their hands on the nearest railing before the elevator shot up. Frisk yelled in fright and shut tight their eyes. Flowey's vines wrapped around their arms and the railing. They couldn't move their arms if they tried. They couldn't fall if they tried.


	36. Kingdom- True Knife

Chapter Seven

 _True Knife_

The elevator stopped. Flowey and Frisk both let go. When they stepped outside, they found themselves very close to the castle. "How'd we get here?" Frisk murmured.

"It's a shortcut," Flowey explained. "Now let's go meet the king. Now that we've freed the amalgamates and helped Dr. Alphys, we have a stronger cause. We'll have people whom we've helped. The king will understand that."

Frisk nodded and went up to the first elevator they found. It took them directly next to the Judgement Hall. They passed through multiple hallways. They walked through the flower-laden thrown room. They approached the doorway that led to the barrier. A yellow glimmer shone next to it.

" _Knowing that you are about to free the underground fills you with determination."_

Frisk strode into the barrier room.

"Oh? Back so soon…?" King Asgore prompted. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, thank you. I'm ready," Frisk stated.

"F-Frisk? Can you, uh, put me down, first?" Flowey requested.

"Oh! Sure." Frisk took off their backpack and set it on the ground next to the entrance. Their necklace turned into a deep green.

"I… I see. This is it, then." King Asgore turned around. "Ready?" The souls appeared before them. King Asgore shut his eyes. "Human… it was nice to meet you. Goodbye."

"W-wait!" Frisk gasped. "Please, I need to tell you something!"

King Asgore ignored them. He lowered his head and readied his weapon. Then, he looked up. A great gust of crystal blue fire rammed into him. He cried out in surprise as he was thrown back. Toriel took his place. She looked down at Frisk with such affection they were surprised it was turned to them. They felt Chara's presence, and happiness, like a heat. "My child! You are safe! I am sorry. I thought that separation would help us both. But I couldn't stop worrying about your journey. I knew that it would be treacherous- especially for such a kind soul. I knew that you would ultimately have to make a terrible choice. In order to leave, you would need to take King Asgore's life. However, I realized something. I cannot allow that. So, for now, let us suspend this battle."

"Toriel." King Asgore had gotten up and now stared at her with wide eyes. "You came back…!"

"Yes!" Toriel purred. "This human! They came through the Ruins and–"

"Turned out to be a poor fighter," King Asgore agreed, his voice getting dry. "Which is funny how it seems to happen to _all_ children you attempt to keep."

Toriel's gaze darkened. "Asgore, please! That isn't my fault. I'm just doing what's best for them!"

"What's best for them?" the king snarled. "What would've been 'best' was to train them with everyone else!"

"I didn't know they'd go to the surface! I didn't know that he'd try to fight _humans!_ I just wanted them to be kids for a little while longer, Asgore."

"Kids? Well know they're dust and bones," King Asgore growled. "Thanks to you, the entirety of the underground can only see the dust that they create, the souls that they break. Why? Because our children died and destroyed hope for everyone!"

"Me? You're blaming me for that?" Toriel's hands lit of crystal blue fire. "You're the king! It's your job, just as it is mine, to keep our kingdom in good terms. But I couldn't do it all by myself!"

"What did you do, then? You hid behind a door completely sealed so that nothing but the tiniest of things could get through. That helped us a lot," King Asgore growled.

"Look I… understand," Toriel sighed. The fire vanished. "I understand how terrible I've acted and the decisions I've made. But… once this ends… can we still be friends?"

" _No_ , Toriel."

Then, heavy boots cracked into floor. Frisk ducked as Captain Undyne leaped clear over them. A spear appeared in her hands and she landed before Frisk, eyes darting about. "Nggaaah! King Asgore! Human! No one fight anyone! Everyone's going to calm down or else I'll be forced to- to-?" Her gaze landed on Toriel.

Completely immune to Captain Undyne's threatening nature, Toriel purred, "Hello! I am Toriel. Are you the human's friend? It's nice to meet you!"

Captain Undyne let go of the spear. It vanished into thin air. "Uh… yeah…?" She walked over to her king. "Er, King Asgore? Is that the queen? Oh. That's, uh, rough."

Dr. Alphys' thick feet pattered on the ground as she sprinted inside. She stopped so suddenly she nearly tripped over herself. "H-hey! No one hurt each other! So many people don't want the child… to… die…?" Dr. Alphys looked at Toriel.

"Oh!" Toriel purred. "Are you another friend? I'm Toriel. Hello!"

"Er, hello!" Dr. Alphys' eyes trained on Frisk. "There's two of them?" she breathed in exasperation before meeting her girlfriend by King Asgore.

Frisk couldn't even answer. Black and red boots flashed over the ground beside Frisk. Papyrus came to a stop between the young human and Toriel. A red bone was gripped in his hand and another few jumped in front of Frisk. "HALT! NO ONE TAKE A STEP FURTHER, THIS FIGHT WILL NOT… PROGRESS…?" He turned to look at Toriel.

Toriel waved. "Hello! I am Toriel. It's nice to meet you."

"ER- HELLO." He glanced back at Frisk. "IS THAT… _THE QUEEN?_ _"_

Frisk gave him a small nod. The bones before the young human vanished. "She's Toriel."

"…THE ONE YOU CALLED MOTHER," Papyrus stated. Frisk nodded happily.

"hey guys. what's up?" Sans strolled in behind Papyrus and came around to Frisk's other side.

Toriel gasped. "That voice…!" She looked at Sans stood in front of him. She dwarfed him in size. "Hello. I think we may know each other?"

"hey! i recognize your voice, too."

"I am Toriel. It's so nice to meet you."

"the name's sans and, ah, same." Sans gave her a nod of his head.

"Hehehe…" Toriel chuckled. Papyrus and Sans backed up so that they all stood together. The queen smiled. "My child. It seems as if you must stay a while longer. But with so many friends here, I don't think that will be much of a problem. You might even be happy here."

Dr. Alphys nodded. "A-After helping so many people, no one wants your soul anymore."

Captain Undyne puffed out her chest. "The rate of casualties has gone down by over half! Whatever positivity and happiness you have is infectious!"

Tears glimmered in Frisk's useless eyes. "Y-yeah! We can all be friends together! Flowey did you-?" Frisk spun around. The backpack was empty. "Flowey?" Light green vines whipped out of the ground around them. Within seconds, they wrapped around Frisk's legs, arms, chest, waist, shoulders, and neck. They forced them to their knees. The vines pulled them so tight that they were almost bent completely over and their chest began to hurt. Flowey popped out of the ground before them. A giant, thorny branch wider than King Asgore erupted from one of the walls and slashed across Frisk's friends. Vines erupted from that, too, and tied them all together.

Frisk looked up. The captured monsters struggled and fought with the vines. Sans, powerless, did not move. Dr. Alphys' tail whipped back and forth and her back claws tore at the vines. They were not even scratched. Toriel summoned fire. The vines did not wither. Captain Undyne summoned a spear. The spear shattered upon impact. Bones splintered upon hitting the vines. King Asgore's weapon clanged to the ground, utterly broken by the vines.

"F-Flowey? Flowey! What are you doing?" Frisk cried.

Flowey looked back at them. Six brightly colors souls flashed around him before melting into his small body. "Frisk. I'm doing what I need to do."

"What? You don't need to hurt anyone!" Frisk yelped. "Please don't hurt them! Please! They've done nothing wrong! We're trying to _help_ them!" Although the monsters quit struggling, their hate did not cease. It was simply directed at the object of their misery.

"They're not hurt," Flowey stated. "They've simply been contained. I know that no one is going to agree with me. But Frisk, this must be done."

"Wh-what must be done?"

"Do you remember that talk we had? About the king?" Flowey persisted.

Frisk nodded. "Y-yeah. We agreed that we wouldn't hurt him- _neither_ of us would. No matter what."

Flowey nodded. "And when I prompted you if worse came to worse, if he still forced a fight on you, what you would do?"

Frisk's blood turned to ice. "F-Flowey, please. King Asgore isn't fighting! We're not fighting! Please, Flowey!"

"If you were going to do something stupid," Flowey went on. "That I kill you."

"I-I'm not doing anything stupid!"

"You are," Flowey countered. "You brought me to that horrid place. You brought me across all this cavern. For what? Frisk, our happy ending won't be yours. You realize that, right? Someone will have to die. And if someone _has_ to die, then I'm not letting Fate decide. I'm tired of being powerless. I'm tired of being stepped on. I'm tired of having everything I say disregarded and being helpless to do anything about it." As he spoke, the vines around them constricted. Thorns bristled from thick, green vines. He sighed and relaxed so that no one would suffocate. After all, Sans was so close to dusting it was a wonder he was still alive. "I'm not letting you decide. I'm sorry, Frisk. Forgive me."

White pellets appeared around him they struck at Frisk's soul. Frisk cried out in pain and struggled fiercely in the bonds that Flowey kept them wrapped up within. "Flowey, Please! Please don't- just, listen to yourself! You're trying to convince yourself what you're doing is alright!"

"Frisk, I'm not giving in to you. I've been with you for a long time. I know what you're trying to do. I'll make sure you won't suffer for long," Flowey stated in a flat voice. Another round of pellets struck at Frisk.

Frisk yelped in pain. Their struggles got weaker. Cuts appeared in their skin. "Flowey, please! You're my friend! I love you! Don't do this. Please-" another round of bullets cracked into their soul. That was it. Their soul hovered before them. It was cracked so much that the tiniest breath could kill them. Frisk slumped their shoulders and closed their eyes. They gave Flowey a tentative smile. "So, I'm guessing we're not going to have that dinner?" Another round of bullets surrounded them. Another round? Only one was needed.

A round of blue fire burst around Frisk. The pellets were disintegrated. A crack on Frisk's soul disappeared. Frisk's eyes flashed up. Toriel gave them a small smile. "Do not be afraid, my child. No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you!"

Flowey summoned two rows of pellets. A bone appeared on Frisk's right. A spear materialized on their left. The pellets were vaporized. Another crack vanished. Papyrus opened his eyes. "THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO AS YOU ALWAYS SAY TO DO: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!"

Captain Undyne crowed, "Hey! Human! If you got past me, then you can do anything! We're with you all the way!" A third crack disappeared.

"huh? you haven't beaten this guy, yeah?" Sans huffed with a smirk. "kid, this weirdo has nothin' on you." Frisk's soul mended a little bit more.

Flowey summoned two more walls of pellets. A wall of electricity on Frisk's left and a wall of yellow fire on their right destroyed the offending pellets. Their soul mended just a bit more. Dr. Alphys piped up, "Technically, it is impossible to get out of this situation as he is almost a god. Er- don't worry. I'm sure you'll figure a way out!"

"Human!" King Asgore stated, "For the future of humans and monsters…! You have to stay determined!"

Then, the room was filled. Monsters from all over the underground came to their side. The Royal Guard Dogs raced around to Frisk's side, snarling and barking. Hackles raised and fur fluffed up, even Lesser Dog looked intimidating. Endogeny's goop dripped on the ground behind them. The Royal Guard bunny and dragon came to them as well. Little ones like Froggit, Whimsum, Vulkin, Moldsmal, and Pyrope bounded into the mass of monsters. Monster kid tripped and fell flat on his face next to Muffet. Flowey had to move multiple times to avoid being trampled. Frisk's soul glowed in a brilliant light. They were not only physically healed, but their determination, their hope, came back with a fervor they hadn't felt in years. The vines around them began to loosen. Lesser Dog chewed on the vines. They wouldn't tear. They were much too strong to be defeated by a small dog's teeth. The small guard dog still put all of his effort and energy into attempting to tear apart the loose vines.

"Flowey?" Frisk stated. "Look at all these people! They're working together! Even with six souls, I don't think you can match the Underground. Please, Flowey. Let us go. I forgive you. You're only doing what's right. So, I'm not mad at you."

"Fuck that!" Captain Undyne huffed but was quickly silenced by Toriel's stern look.

Flowey shook his head with a small laugh. "You're right, Frisk. One human soul can equal the soul of every monster in the underground." He stared Frisk straight in the eyes. "Who do you want to live?"

Frisk felt cold.

"You can't even answer, can you?" Flowey prompted. "No. Because you don't want to die. But you don't want to stray from your morals. But deep down inside, all of us are selfish. All of us just want to survive. Sometimes, that means killing a few people."

"B-but… you don't have to kill anyone…" Frisk pointed out.

Vines erupted form the ground. Screams of pain and fear erupted from the ground as people were torn from their places and tethered. Vulkin exploded in an attempt to burn the vines. Pyrope set himself on fire. Doggo snapped his teeth into the vine and tore his head back and forth. Ice Cap attempted to freeze the vines. Snow Drake and his parents attempted to flutter away. They were snatched from the air and slammed into the ground. Nothing that anyone could do was working.

"W-wait!" Frisk cried. "Wait! Okay, Flowey! I give! Kill me. Take my soul. Please don't hurt them."

"my god does this sound familiar," Sans huffed. "do you remember the last time they said that, you fucking back-stabbing flower?"

Flowey didn't look at him. Pellets surrounded them. "For the good of all monsters… don't even attempt to stop me."

Yellow fire mixed with crystal blue to fend off another attack from Flowey. "No!" King Asgore growled. "I, King Asgore, will be the one to free us. Killing a human child is no longer the way to do it."

Toriel looked at Frisk. "Frisk, we're only defending you. Please understand this: you are a part of us, now."

"You… you really mean that?" Frisk breathed. "E-even though I'm a human?"

Toriel nodded. "Yes, my child. We will protect you. We love you, as you love us."

"I… we can… so, once this is over, we can be like… a family?"

"Of course," Toriel purred.

King Asgore nodded. "We will be able to live in peace, young one. Together."

Frisk's teary smile widened. They attempted to speak. A memory of Frisk's family came to mind. Tagged with it was its self-destruction and ultimate spiral into abuse and depression. Their smile faded. Frisk took a deep breath and shook their head. "No. Flowey's right, isn't he? My happy ending… it can't be yours." Frisk let out a bitter laugh. "To think I was… I was beginning to think I could be happy. That I had some sort of use. Well, I guess that's half right, huh? I'm sorry. I love all of you so much. I'm sorry. If I'd gone through the entire Underground without caring, then none of you would be here now."

Frisk let out a sigh. "Flowey? You seem to remember what I'd done and said very well. Do you remember what we talked about? Before we met Dr. Alphys?"

"What?" Flowey's voice was small, soft.

"I said that I would defend you," Frisk stated. "That I would not let you get hurt. With whatever happens, whatever I do or whatever anyone does to us, that I promised that I would always make sure that you were safe." A small smile crept upon their lips. "I, uh… heh. Welp. I guess I found just the way to do that. I love you. I love you all." Their smile faded. "Take care." Their necklace turned a brilliant shade of red. They drew Chara's knife from their bag and tore their hand out of the loose bindings. "Please, God, whatever you do, don't screw up your freedom."

" _FRISK!"_ The cry went up around them. Flowey's eyes grew round in horror. Chara attempted to take the knife away. Their hand phased right through the weapon.

" _Frisk if you kill yourself now, you will not be able to go back! Drop the knife!"_

They gridded their teeth in pain and shuttered. Blood swelled on their shirt and dribbled down their chest. They dropped the bloody knife on the ground before them. Deep fissures cracked into their soul. Over time, cracks continued to be formed, even when the knife was thrown away. The opened their mouth in a soft laugh. Blood painted their teeth red and dribbled down their chin. "Hehe. Is this what my happy ending feels like?" They brought a closed, shaky hand to their chest and shut their eyes. "Familiar... isn't it...?"

Flowey appeared before them. He threw the knife away and let go of the vines. In fact, the vines throughout the entire underground fell. "I-I didn't mean it! I'm sorry, Frisk! I changed my mind. I don't like this plan anymore."

Frisk's blurry eyes half-shut. "Please… save them…" They flopped forward.

Flowey turned Frisk over and looked over the ghastly wound in their chest. He gasped and vanished into the ground. Otherwise, he would've been crushed. Dr. Alphys went to work immediately. She shoved Dogarressa back and slapped Lesser Dog with her tail to clear the people away from Frisk. Dr. Alphys sliced out a chunk of shirt over the chest. "Sans!" she barked. Sans was by her side in moments. "Put your hand on their chest and apply pressure."

"how _much_ pressure?" Sans prompted but set his hands on their chest anyway.

"As much as you can. You're weak. You shouldn't hurt them."

" _what?_ _"_

Dr. Alphys hovered her hand over Frisk's chest and moved their soul so that it hovered just above them. If he wanted to, Sans could catch it. Dr. Alphys put on a headset and set a device on the soul, which was connected to the headset with a cord. After a few seconds and a glance at a pressure reading device on the cord, Dr. Alphys dropped the device and took out a needle. She drew out a tiny bit of red liquid from a vial and then kept a firm grasp on their soul.

Toriel came up behind her. "What's that?"

"Determination. _Their_ determination," Dr. Alphys replied. "They've lost quite a bit. Their soul is weak. They have no will to survive. Thus, their determination is low and they are very weak and vulnerable. Anything could destroy–or absorb–their soul. This injection should help. Being their own determination, which is the highest and most potent concentration that I've ever had, should help immensely. But it will hurt." Dr. Alphys moved around and stepped on Frisk's face. This, of course, caused Toriel to gasp and attempt to grab the scientist. King Asgore held her back. The doctor slid the needle into the dying child's nearly shattered soul, injected the liquid, and then stepped back. Dr. Alphys put away most of her supplies and grabbed the device she'd use to measure their soul. She glanced at her watch. "We will wait thirty seconds. Then, I will test their soul again. If they are stable, I will require you to heal them. Once they are healed, they will need to be washed off, changed, and fed. The knife is not to go anywhere near them for the time being."

"Kni… ife… Ch… ch…cha…. ra…" Frisk mumbled and twitched their fingers.

"Do not move," Dr. Alphys stated. "You are not in good enough condition for that."

"knife chara?" Sans prompted. "was that a, uh, joke or somethin'?"

Dr. Alphys looked at Sans. "They do not have appropriate levels of blood and are in a great deal of pain. Whatever they are saying right now will have very little sense."

"cah…rah…" Frisk corrected. Their eyes opened into slits. "No… chahr… ah… cha…ra…"

"are you correctin' me?" Sans prompted.

"Stop it!" Dr. Alphys barked. Sans shrank away from her. His hands twitched as they attempted to draw back to his chest to defend him. Dr. Alphys lowered her voice. "You are encouraging them." She picked up the other end of the device and held it to Frisk's soul. She nodded and lowered it back into their chest. "Heal them." Dr. Alphys ducked her head and took a step back.

Toriel knelt and hovered both hands over Frisk's body. Green sparks fluttered from her hands. At first, nothing happened. "My child…" Toriel whimpered. She lowered her hands. They emitted green light. The blood flow stopped but nothing else came together. "Please, my child. Please." Her hands glowed in a new fervor. Sparks and glimmering lights wreathed about her fingers and sparkled over Frisk's chest wound. Their wound vanished. The queen sighed and lowered her hands to her side. The green light vanished. She scooped up the young one's head in one hand and set the other on Frisk's chest. Sans skittered back. "You're better now, my child. You're alright. I'm here. We're here for you."

Frisk blink and opened their eyes. "Huh…?" They coughed and cleared their throat. "Why?"

"Why?" Toriel echoed.

"I thought… you needed me…" Frisk mumbled. "That s-something would–"

"Oh no! No, my child! We _do_ need you. But we need you alive, you see?" Toriel reassured them. "Please, my child. Stay with us. Stay with me."

Frisk didn't respond at once. Toriel's furry hands were much softer and fluffier than any pillow they'd had. Their eyes began to close. Frisk attempted to speak, but all that came out with a yawn. Dr. Alphys snapped her clawed fingers in front of Frisk's nose. Frisk jolted awake. "Huh?! What-?"

"Stay awake." Dr. Alphys stated.

Toriel nodded. "My child, can you answer me? Please?"

"Yeah? Thank you." Frisk shifted so that they set their cheek on her palm. "Thank you."

Flowey's voice piped up behind them. "HEY!"

Toriel's head whipped around so fast it was a surprise her neck didn't snap. "What-?!"

Flowey raised his voice in an even higher pitch, "Frisk's okay! They're not dying. You're making sure of that." Flowey lowered his voice to an appropriate level. "But I'll still fulfill their wish."

Vines whipped out of the ground. Screams filled the silence. Everything went white. Then, nothing.


	37. Kingdom- Starry Eyed

Chapter Eight

 _Starry Eyed_

Frisk raised their head and blinked. They were in complete black. Not even Chara could distinguish anything from the lightless, worldless black. They looked down. They could now see their red shirt with a maroon stripe over the chest. They could see their dark pants and black shoes. They could see their necklaces. One charm was a brilliant blue spear. Another charm was an upside down yellow heart. A third was a Gaster Blaster skull. The fourth was a scarlet heart locket. Then, something interrupted the black. They could now clearly see the white, yellow, and red shape before them. Prince Asriel turned around. His scarlet eyes matched Chara's. Chara wasn't even possessing them and they could see the kid in complete clarity. A grand smile spread across his features. Frisk clambered to their feet. Something about that smile… it seemed off.

Prince Asriel chuckled and wiped his eyes. "Finally, I was so tired of being a flower. Chara? Are you there? It's your best friend:" Their world flashed white. Before them was no longer the goat kid wearing a yellow-and-red striped t-shirt and dark pants. Before them was what looked like a cross between Toriel and King Asgore as young adults. His horns were slicked back. Black swirls crossed his cheeks. Although he had his father's pauldrons, his mother's robes dressed him. "Asriel Dreemurr!"

 _Asriel Dreemurr- Attack ∞, Defense ∞. HP ∞. A legendary being made from the souls of the entire underground._

Prince Asriel's feet left the 'ground' so that he hovered above them. Frisk set a hand on their chest. Their clothes were no longer bloody and torn. They didn't ache. Their soul glowed happily, unmarred by a single scratch. Prince Asriel swirled his hands around. Emerald fire blazed about them. This, too, they could see. They could see the balls of green fire hurled at them. Frisk jumped about the avoid the attacks. Although they tried to speak, they failed. What could they say? What words could possibly break through the pure shock and numb confusion that assaulted their brain?

 _Frisk- Defense 15, Attack 15. HP 20. Determined to SAVE monsters._

Prince Asriel waved his hands. The black was eradicated. Colors swirled around them in stripes like the barrier's pattern. Frisk looked about in wonder at the assortment of moving colors. Quite suddenly, the clashing colors began to make their already overstimulated mind dizzy and disoriented them.

 _Chara- Defense 15, Attack 15, HP ?. Determined to SAVE monsters._

Frisk gasped upon feeling's Chara's hand on them. Unlike the many times before where they just felt heat, it was as if Chara's hand had somehow become a physical being. Chara tapped their shoulder and pointed at Prince Asriel. "Look out!" Their voice was sharp and clear. Where the hell were they? Was this what being dead felt like?

Prince Asriel raised his hands and vanished. Giant stars fell from the 'sky' above. Upon hitting some invisible barrier, they burst into a dozen smaller stars, all which rained down on them. Frisk gasped and bounced about to stop from being sliced open by pointed stars. Eventually, Prince Asriel appeared before them again. He swayed from side to side, leaving a trail of shining colors.

"Asriel charges 'Shocker breaker'," Chara remarked.

"How are you here? Am I dead?" Frisk asked in a rush.

"I don't know and no. But you will be if you stay still!" Chara scolded. Frisk turned around to face Prince Asriel.

"You know…" Prince Asriel started. "I honestly don't care about saving this world anymore." He raised his hands and vanished again. Rainbow colored lightning flashed and struck the ground. Frisk hopped from place to place. They were barely able to dodge the strikes. Some of them, unfortunately, zapped through them. Fractures appeared in their soul. The attack ended.

"Asriel calls on 'Chaos Saber'," Chara piped up.

Frisk took a deep breath and took a step back. "What?!"

"That's his attack," Chara explained. "It, uh… if I remember correctly… has something to do with swords."

"Okay. Swords. Um, what do I do?"

"Um… what to do… what to do…" Chara bit their lip and then smiled. "Okay! I want you to find your cause. I want you to hold onto your hopes as tight as you can."

"What?"

"Just trust me!"

Frisk took a deep breath. What was their greatest hope? Immediately, the thought of their family came to them. The thought of receiving a pat on the head from their mother and a hug from Cammie and Holly. The memory of her father's jokes came to mind. The hope that their family had given them came to their mind.

"You hold on to your hopes," Chara declared. "Your defense increased!"

Prince Asriel cackled and held up his hands. Two giant, decorated swords appeared. Frisk gasped and jumped from side to side to avoid being sliced in half. Eventually, Prince Asriel held up both swords and slammed them together so close that both nearly grazed Frisk. They dematerialized. In their wake, small, sharp stars took place. Frisk skittered away from those.

"Asriel charges 'Shocker Breaker'," Chara replied. "That's the lightning one."

Frisk nodded. "I understand." They reminded themselves of the hope they had- the dream of their long dead family and abusive father. Their sweet dream began to turn melancholic. Chara began to speak but stopped. The dream they held so tight did nothing for them.

"All your progress… all their memories. I'll turn them back to zero!" Prince Asriel Dreemurr crowed and vanished. In his wake, colorful lightning bolts crashed down into the multicolored ground that Frisk and Chara stood upon. Although many hit Chara, nothing happened to them. But when they hit Frisk, they cracked their soul.

"Asriel readies 'Chaos Saber'," Chara commented. "That's the one with the swords."

Frisk nodded and shook their head. Unfortunately, the heartbreaking echo of the deceased souls they once called their family stuck to them like cobwebs. Frisk smiled. Cobwebs; just like the time Muffet trapped them in the web. The thought of Muffet and her clan's new future, new _hope_ , gave them determination. A crack was erased from their soul.

"After I defeat you and gain control of the timeline… I just want to reset everything." Prince Asriel raised his hands. Two swords appeared in his hands. Frisk yelped and danced from side to side to prevent the swords from slicing them in half. The swords clapped together. Stars burst from the impact. A few tore into Frisk.

"Asriel charges 'Shocker Breaker'."

"Again?!" Frisk asked in exasperation and winced. "Ow. Where…?" Their bag was completely empty. "Oh no. What-?"

Chara's gaze flicked between Frisk and Prince Asriel. "Dream, Frisk. Recall a dream that gave you hope, that smells of hope and love. Then hold it tight."

Frisk looked up at Prince Asriel. His wicked teeth gleamed and his eyes, black as the void with white pupils, watched them. They recalled their time in the puddles. They could imagine Prince Asriel and Chara splashing about. The dream of the long-lost siblings warmed their chest. A crack vanished from their soul. They could feel their bag filling up.

"All your progress… everyone's memories…" A mad gleam shined in Prince Asriel's eyes. "I'll set them all back to zero!" He vanished. Multicolored bolts of lightning struck the ground. Frisk yelped and bounced about. By the end of it, Frisk was feeling dizzy.

Chara piped up, "Asriel readies Star Blazer." The long dead human hesitated. "That's the one with all the giant stars."

Frist nodded and set their hand in their bag. Heat seeped into their fingers and, in seconds, the feeling of love and determination calmed them and cleared their mind. It was as if they had been covered in mud and a hot shower had washed it all away. They looked up at Prince Asriel with clear eyes.

"Then we can do everything ALL over again!" Prince Asriel waved his arms and vanished. Indeed, giant stars rained from the sky. They burst upon hitting an invisible barrier. Tiny stars clawed into them.

"Asriel readies 'Chaos Buster'."

"Chaos Buster?" Frisk wheezed. "What is that?"

"I… don't know," Chara replied. "It might have something to do with color? But every one of his attacks have to do with color. A gun, I think?"

"That doesn't help." Frisk set their hand in their bag. Their soul glowed with a new light, completely clean of cracks.

Prince Asriel sneered, "And you know what the best part of all this is? You'll DO it!" A giant gun-esc laser appeared in his hand. Three lines of light shot out at Frisk. Large, square bullets burst from the muzzle of it. All of them followed the three laser pointers like a guide. Frisk jumped about to get away from the lasers. Finally, the lasers turned off. Prince Asriel spun the machine. It filled up with a rainbow liquid. The muzzle opened and a giant rainbow laser burst forth. Frisk dodged the blast and stumbled to a stop.

"Asriel calls on 'Chaos Saber'," Chara warned.

Frisk took a deep breath and stared at Prince Asriel. Their eyes never left his. Although his gaze was dark and a malicious gleam sparked within him, Frisk could not see the evil behind it. They could only see the little flower that Frisk knew would make it to the surface. The hope that they will one day lead everyone to a beautiful life on the surface gave them new energy.

Prince Asriel cackled. "And then you'll lose to me again." Two swords appeared in his hands. Frisk jumped from foot to foot to get away from his attacks. The stars were still very difficult to get away from.

"Asriel readies 'Chaos Buster'. That's the laser gun one."

Frisk nodded. They recalled the hope of a new life that they held dear. One of the cracks vanished from their soul. Frisk smiled. "And again." Prince Asriel smirked and pulled the laser gun out of thin air. Frisk gasped and raced away from the lasers. This was a very difficult attack to evade. Although standing in one place and then side-stepping during each attack would make their life much easier, their panic took away any real strategy in the situation.

"Asriel readies 'Shocker Breaker II'."

"Now what is _that?_ " Frisk prompted.

Chara shrugged. "It's probably a stronger version of the lightning attack? My memory is sort of fuzzy on this."

Frisk gave them a brisk nod. They held onto their hope of freedom and happiness. "We _will_ get out of here. We _will_ save everyone. Then everyone _will_ be happy."

"And again!" Prince Asriel announced with a laugh and vanished. The lightning fell with more strength and more speed. Frisk yelped in fright and raced out of the way of each strike- or, at least, tried. Electricity tore through their soul. By the end of the bombardment of electrical attacks, Frisk could hardly stand.

"Asriel readies 'Galactica Blazing'." Chara nodded. "Yes. That's a bigger version of 'Star Blazing'. Big stars."

Frisk took a deep breath. Their fingers brushed the inside of their bag. The dreams of freedom and happiness cleared their mind and mended their soul.

"Because you want a 'happy ending'," Prince Asriel taunted. He waved his arms. Stars glimmered around his fingers. Stars blazed and crashed down upon the invisible barrier. Frisk staggered back into multiple attacks as they dodged others. Finally, a gargantuan star slowly descended and crashed into the barrier. Rings of stars bombarded the small human.

"Asriel readies 'Chaos Slicer'. That's another version of the swords."

Frisk nodded and stuck their hand in their bag. They cleared their mind and mended their soul- for the most part. Prince Asriel sneered, "Because you 'love your friends'." Two swords appeared in his hands. The constant swinging of the massive weapons didn't seem any different from the first attack. The stars that were sparked in the end didn't seem any different.

"Asriel readies Chaos Blaster."

Frisk recalled their hope of freedom and happiness. A crack in their soul vanished. They could feel a heat spread from their chest throughout their body. They smiled and looked back up at their friend whose mind had been warped by power and the feelings of malice and fear that the souls within him held.

"Because you 'never give up'." The laser gun appeared in his hand. Frisk took a deep breath to steady their fluttering heart. They side stepped and paused. They were reminded of Sans' and Papyrus' attacks. It was a constant dance of moving and stopping. The end surprised them, however. The laser poured its pent-up energy in the air beside them. Rings of stars burst from the tip of the laser. Frisk hardly had the ability to process the last-minute adjustment to the attack before dodging.

"Asriel readies 'Shocker Breaker II'."

Their fingers brushed the last of the dreams that manifested themselves in their bag. Their bag oddly felt emptier than before.

Prince Asriel shook his head with a demeaning chuckle, "Isn't that delicious? Your 'determination'. The power that helped get you this far… it's going to be your downfall!" Lightning struck at Frisk. They yelped and raced away from the intense, hyper-fast attacks. By the end, they felt shaky.

"Asriel prepares 'Hyper Goner'," Chara stated. "I… don't know what that is."

Frisk took a deep breath and looked up at Prince Asriel. "I believe in you, Prince Asriel Dreemurr. Even if you defeat me, I'll be right back here to meet ya."

Prince Asriel cackled. "Now _enough_ messing around! It's time to purge this timeline once and for all!" He waved his hands and vanished. The colors vanished from the world. Everything turned black. If it wasn't for the giant goat skull that appeared before them, Frisk would've considered the theory that they went completely blind. The giant skull laughed and opened its mouth wide. Frisk's feet began to slip toward the monster. Chara gasped as the pull took them, too. The two turned and raced away from the skull. Yet it was like the time Muffet's pet attacked them. No matter how fast they ran, the ground beneath them fell away at a faster pace. It helped that giant squares rushed past them like the spiders on the web. The black fell away under the blaze of white light that the goat skull burst into.

Frisk collapsed. Chara staggered and put a hand to their head in confusion. Prince Asriel hovered above them. His teeth were bared in a sneer. Colors returned to the world. "... even after that attack, you're still standing in my way...? Wow... you really _are_ something special. But don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my _real_ power! Let's see what good your determination is against _this!_ " The world turned white. Frisk raised their arm over their eyes to block the glare.

Suddenly, they were no longer in the empty blackness of the void. They stood up. Around them were fragments of space. Platforms made from the shattered night sky floated about them. Frisk looked about. They were standing on a large chunk of space. Around them, blackness consumed the area. Before them, Prince Asriel floated. His horns grew and morphed into a wave away from his head. Two giant ears curled around his great head. His body had changed. It was as if Captain Undyne and Mettaton had merged their armor with a bit of Prince Asriel's own flare. The chest was round and shiny white with a brilliant red heart in the center. Spiked, curled shoulders branched out. His arms were shaped like white gloves with hearts on the back of them. They hovered, detached from his body, beside him. His legs, also separate from his body, were put in a cylinder with the line that parted it swirling back and forth. What caught their attention the most were the two giant wings that swirled and changed colors.

When Frisk attempted to move, they couldn't. It was as if Captain Undyne held their heart in place or Muffet spun them into a web or Flowey had ensnared them in vines. All they could do was attempt to struggle but fail to get free. "Asriel blocks the way," Chara breathed in absolute astonishment.

"Urah hah hah! Behold my TRUE power!" Prince Asriel cried and waved his hands. Multicolored comets sprang from his hands. Frisk struggled and squirmed to get away. They failed. They hovered their hand next to their soul and pushed it away. The comets rushed around them. With Frisk's guidance, their soul fluttered away from the multicolored projectiles. If it got too far away, Frisk's vision would grow dark and their chest would begin to hurt. Thus, Frisk kept their soul close. Unfortunately, Frisk couldn't dodge all of Prince Asriel's attacks. One comet crashed into their soul. It promptly _shattered._

Chara pounced on them. With one arm wrapped around their dizzy friend, they held out the other. The shattered pieces of their soul rejoined.

*But it refused.

Chara pulled back it back so that their soul, whole and blazing with warmth and light, stayed close to Frisk's chest. Chara let go with a heavy wheeze. Frisk shook their head and looked about with bright eyes.

Prince Asriel's midnight-toothed smile widened. "I can feel it... Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away. Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more. Your life will end here, in a world where no one remembers you..." More comets blazed from his fingertips. Frisk, struggling to move, pulled their soul away from each attack. The attack clustered near the top and bottom as they flew in an arc. So, there were some larger spaces between clusters that Frisk could hide in to avoid harm.

The attack ended. Frisk struggled a bit more. They failed to move even a single inch. Prince Asriel prompted, "Still you're hanging on…? That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything, too. That attitude will serve you well in your next life!" Comets blazed out from his hands and around Frisk. A few managed to crack into them. Frisk shook off the attacks. They continued to struggle. Prince Asriel goaded, "Ura ha ha… Still!? Come on… Show me what good your DETERMINATION is now!" More comets were launched at them.

Frisk attempted to struggle again. They failed, again. They attempted to move their body. They failed. Chara held out their hands on either side of Frisk. Chara's chest brushed the young human's back so their hands appeared on either side and joined together before Frisk. "RESET" and "CONTINUE" sputtered in their hands. Chara frowned and tried harder. The buttons appeared and fizzled out again. They concentrated all their willpower on the "RESET" button. Frisk attempted to catch it. They attempted to reach their old SAVE point. Nothing happened. They tried again, combining both Frisk's and Chara's will together. Still, nothing happened. "It seems trying to _save_ us is impossible," Frisk mused.

Chara narrowed their eyes. "No. We still have some power. Maybe, with what little power we have, we can _save_ something else." A large grin spread across Chara's features. The fizzling reset and continue buttons Chara had been attempting to summon vanished. Replacing them was a sturdy button glowing in a rainbow of lights: "SAVE". Frisk immediately put their hands to the button. Chara grinned. "We can save our friends. Captain Undyne, Dr. Alphys, Papyrus, Sans, Mom, and Dad."


	38. Kingdom- Save Him

Chapter Nine

 _Save Him_

Frisk's eyes grew round. They held out their hand to Prince Asriel's soul. "P-Papyrus! I know you're in there! Lost, but there!" Within the depths of Prince Asriel's soul, something is resonating.

Their vision flashed white.

Frisk looked about. Prince Asriel was nowhere to be seen. The ethereal plane of the night sky stretched out all around them to create the ground. Blackness enveloped them all. Chara now stood next to Frisk. The young human looked up. Their eyes grew round in shock as they looked upon their skeletal friends for the first time. Papyrus stood there, solemn as if at a funeral, and Sans stood beside him. His stance was loose and his smile lazy. Their heads were enveloped in white flames. Frisk's soul turned blue. Yet, they didn't feel cold.

Frisk looked back at Chara. Chara piped up, "They don't recognize you. I don't think they even know they're here. Try saying something that will remind them of you or something about themselves."

Frisk hesitated and looked to Papyrus. "P-Papyrus. I, uh, need your help with a puzzle."

Papyrus struggled to hide his joy. "I MUST CAPTURE A HUMAN!"

"just give up," Sans stated with a depressed sigh. "i did."

Bones were summoned from the ground. Frisk backed up and then jumped over them. They were slower than either of their battles. It's as if neither of them had their hearts in the attack. In fact, Sans was hardly even paying attention, much less aiding, in the fight.

Frisk stood up straight and turned to Sans once the attack ended. "You look pretty down, Sans. Um… say, I have a good one: Why did the skeleton go to the dance alone? Because he had no _body_ to go with!"

A small, exasperated chuckle was drawn from Sans and a heavy groan from Papyrus.

"why even try?" Sans prompted.

"THEN EVERYONE WILL…" Papyrus started.

Frisk dodged the next attacks quite easily.

"Papyrus, buddy. Why don't you cook up more of that awesome spaghetti and we can all hang out?"

Papyrus' eyes lit up for a moment before being smothered again. This time, he didn't comment. Sans went on to mutter, "you'll never see 'em again."

Frisk jumped over a few more bones, ducked under some, and stayed stock still through a few others. Once the simple, slow attack ended, Frisk prompted, "Sans: you're not really into this battle, are you? Why not take a break?"

Sans nodded in agreement. Quite suddenly, the fire vanished from Sans and Papyrus. Sans' lazy smile became genuine and his eyes lit up. "heh. nah, i'm rootin' for ya, kid."

Papyrus grinned and set his gaze. "HUMAN! I COULD NEVER FORSAKE YOU!"

A bright light flashed and Frisk was again stuck in place before the Angel of Death. Frisk smiled and held out their hand. "Captain Undyne! Come here! I know you're in there!"

Frisk's soul turned green. They were standing before Captain Undyne, now. Her head blazed with dull, cold white fire. They smiled. "Captain Undyne! Wanna test your mettle again me?"

The edges of Captain Undyne's lips flickered in the beginning of a smile before fading. "All humans will die!" she barked and threw her hand toward Frisk. A blue spear shaft appeared in Frisk's hand. They held up the weapon to block the incoming attacks. These, too, were slower than the fight they had endured in Waterfall.

Frisk lowered their weapon as the last of the arrows vanished. "Captain Undyne! How about another fighting lesson?"

A look of slight confusion and turmoil flitted across her features. She struggled to put down her desire to aid them. Instead, she growled, "You're our real enemy." Again, she sent rows of spears after them. Frisk deflected them all with ease.

Frisk gave them a brilliant smile, just like the one Captain Undyne liked to wear. Captain Undyne watched them for a few moments. The fire vanished from her head. Captain Undyne gave them a wide smile. "Hah! Some humans are okay, I guess!"

The young human and their spirit friend were standing before Prince Asriel. Frisk put on a wide smile. "Dr. Alphys! I know that you're in there!"

Frisk's soul flipped upside down and turned yellow. Dr. Alphys, donned in her beautiful night-sky dress, stood before them. Her head was bowed and arms brought up close. Fire enveloped her head. "You hate me, don't you?" she accused in a small voice. Miniature square Mettatons fluttered above them.

Frisk guided their soul up and shot them out of the air. "No, I don't. Dr. Alphys, I will support you, even if the going gets rough."

Dr. Alphys flashed the smallest of smiles before fading. "All I do is hurt people…" Bombs flanking boxes drifted from the sky. Frisk activated a bomb and stood to the side to avoid its blast. They shot down the next and side-stepped it. After about half a dozen more bombs, the attack ended.

Frisk smiled. "Dr. Alphys! I'm kind of curious: what's the difference between a human soul and a monster soul?"

Dr. Alphys' eyes lit up. She could barely keep herself from answering. Suddenly, the fire vanished. She gasped, "N-no! I'm not alone. You guys do love me a-and I love you back!"

Frisk's soul flipped right-side-up and turned red. Prince Asriel stared down at them. Frisk took a deep breath. "Toriel! I know you're there! Answer me!"

Hardly a breath was wasted before Frisk and Chara faced Toriel and King Asgore. Both of them had a dark, sad look to them. Both of their heads were alight in white flame.

"I have to leave if I can free everyone," Frisk pointed out.

For the slightest moment, Toriel's sad look became hopeful. It fell again. "This is for your own good."

"Please, forgive me for this," King Asgore rumbled.

Yellow and blue fire swirled around them together. Frisk hopped about to avoid being hit by slow, gentle balls of fire.

Frisk looked at King Asgore. "I _refuse_ to fight you."

A look of familiarity came over him for the slightest of moments. "This is my duty."

"No one will ever leave again," Toriel stated in a forceful tone.

Both boss monsters swept their hands toward Frisk. Their sunny yellow and crystal blue fire intertwined as it flowed toward Frisk.

Frisk stared into King Asgore's tired eyes. The solemn king stared right back at them. He did not comment. He could not comment. Toriel didn't speak either. Frisk dodged another careful attack by the two of them. Once the fire was gone, Frisk turned to Toriel. Without even thinking about it, Frisk wrapped their arms around Toriel in a tight hug. "We're going to be okay."

The fire vanished from her and from King Asgore. Toriel's eyes grew round in shock and joy. "Your future is up to you now!"

Frisk backed away with a brilliant smile and looked at King Asgore.

"You are our future!" King Asgore declared.

Their heat left them.

Frisk and Chara stood before Prince Asriel Dreemurr. Their friends had been saved. Yet the feeling of closure did not come to them. There was still someone who needed to be saved. Something began to resonate in Prince Asriel's soul, brighter and brighter. Chara smiled. "It seems that there is still one more person who needs to be saved."

Frisk matched their smile and reached out to his soul. "Asriel!"

"Huh? What are you doing…?!" Prince Asriel's voice cracked.

 _Leaves and grass cushioned their fall. Chara attempted to get up but whimpered in the pain of their hurt leg. They tipped their head back and called for help. Prince Asriel peeked out from behind a pillar. A look of concern crossed his features. Chara recoiled from the odd monster child. Prince Asriel attempted to speak with them. After a while, it began to work. He managed to calm Chara down. He helped Chara all the way back to their home in the kingdom. Queen Toriel answered them. Her healing magic mended the child's battered body. Queen Toriel and King Asgore adopted little Chara. Chara and Prince Asriel quickly became best friends._

"Wh… what did you do…? What's this feeling? What's happening to me?" Prince Asriel's eyes grew round in shock. He shook his head and snarled, "No! NO! I don't need _ANYONE!"_ He whipped his hands out toward them. Comets rushed out of his hands. They were so quick and so high in number that there was no way they could dodge. Surprisingly enough, the comets did little to hurt them.

Tears glimmered in Frisk's gaze. "Asriel, we're your friends. We're here to help you!"

"STOP IT! Get away from me!" Prince Asriel barked. "Do you hear me?! I'll tear you apart!" He raised his hands. Only a dozen slow comets sparked from his hands and lazily flowed around them.

Frisk shook their head. "No, Asriel. We won't give up on you."

Prince Asriel's head dipped and his eyes shut. "…Chara? Do you know why I'm doing this? Why I'm fighting to keep you around?" Frisk pulled their soul toward them. Chara's hands cupped over theirs. Emerald fire rained around them. Yet not one ball of flame got near to touching them. Prince Asriel looked up at them. The attack ceased. "I'm doing this… because you're special, Chara. You're the only one that understands me. You're the only one who's any fun to play with anymore." Harmless emerald fire fell around them again. Frisk glanced back. Chara bit their tongue. Tears ran down their cheeks and chin. Eventually, the fire dissipated. "No. That's not _just_ it. I… I… I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara. I care about you more than anybody else!"

Chara made a squeaking noise that resembled "I care about you, too!" Green fire fluttered about them like teardrops.

"I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again…" Prince Asriel whined. Emerald fire rain around them. Chara's breathing got funny for a moment. Frisk blinked away their own tears. Prince Asriel's voice became shaky. He screamed, "So please… stop doing this! AND JUST LET ME WIN!" He waved his hands. They began to glow. His hands clapped together. The glow sharpened into a ray of light and a laser bore down on them. Frisk gasped. Their soul nearly left them. Chara screw shut their eyes and tightened their grip on Frisk's hands. They tightened their concentration on Frisk's soul. The laser bore down on them. Yet Frisk's soul refuse to break. It cracked further and further.

"STOP IT!" he screamed. The laser got brighter. Microfractures began to break off pieces of their soul. Chara kept them relatively in one piece. Frisk's eyes half shut. Their overwhelmed brain began to shut down. "STOP IT NOW!" Prince Asriel screeched. The laser got brighter and bigger. Chara's cheek brushed Frisk's. Frisk's legs were nearly ready to fall out from under them. Their heart fluttered. It became harder and harder for Chara to keep them together. Their physicality began to deteriorate. Frisk noticed that they could see through Chara's hands in the slightest, like a foggy glass door.

Eventually, the laser stopped. Chara nearly fainted. Frisk used the last of their tiny bit of strength to keep them standing up. Chara's eyes fluttered open again as Prince Asriel spoke, "Chara…"

Chara sniffled. "Asriel…"

The world began to darken.

"I'm so alone, Chara…"

Chara nodded. "We're together now, Asriel…"

The world darkened further.

"I'm so afraid, Chara…"

"You don't have to be afraid anymore, Asriel…"

"Chara, I…" the world darkened further. "I…"

Everything went black before flashing white.

Suddenly, they were in the complete black, again. No stars or fractured night sky surrounded them. Before them, whimpering and crying with his face in his arm, was little Prince Asriel. Chara's eyes grew round. Frisk straightened out their posture. They found more ability in their legs.

"I'm so sorry," Prince Asriel choked. He wiped his face and took a deep breath. "I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara?"

Chara gave him a watery smile and stood beside Frisk. Prince Asriel chuckled. "I haven't felt this way in a long time." His smile fell. "As a flower… I became scared. I lost my ability to truly _love_. I lost… I lost myself. However, with everyone's souls inside of me… not only do I have my own compassion back, but I can feel everyone else's, too." Prince Asriel shook his head. "They all love each other so much. They love you too, Frisk. I wish I could tell you how much everyone cares about you. I… I understand if you can't forgive me. After all I've done. After I hurt everyone- after I hurt you."

Frisk shook their head. "Asriel, I know what you did was awful but… but you meant well. You're _doing_ well."

Chara piped up, "And you did bad things. But look at where we are now."

Prince Asriel looked up at Chara as if seeing them for the first time. "Ch-Chara…? Frisk?" He sniffled and spoke in a shaky voice, "So you've been here the whole time? With us?"

Chara nodded. "Ever since Frisk fell down here, Azzy. I've been with you two every step of the way. I won't leave you, either."

Frisk smiled in agreement. "They've been helping us all along. They even helped you when you took the souls!"

Prince Asriel laughed. "You… you're special. Both of you." His smile fell. "But I can't keep these souls inside of me. The least I can do is return them. But first… I think that it's time that monsters finally go free." He shut his eyes and raised his arms. He was lifted a foot or so into the 'air'. Then, the souls twirled about him. He cried a silent chant. Purple, blue, cyan, yellow, gold, and green swirled around him. Innumerable upside down silver hearts swirled around them all.

Somewhere, a hard _crraaaaaaaack!_ could be heard. It was as if something snapped a rock in half underwater. They could hear it, and knew it was nearby, but it felt faint, blurred, and far away.

Prince Asriel landed before them. He sighed and looked up at them. "Frisk, Chara… I can't keep maintaining this form. Soon I'll… turn into a flower again. I'll lose this. I'll stop being myself. So, I think it would be best if… you just forgot about me." He began to choke on his own words. "Just leave me here. Be outside, with everyone else." Prince Asriel couldn't continue to drag himself through his speech. Chara launched themselves at him. Their arms wrapped about him in a tight hug. Frisk followed suit. "Ha… ha… I don't want to let go…" Prince Asriel chuckled.

Eventually, they let go. He looked between them. "You're going to do a great job, okay? Everyone's going to be there for you. Don't forget that, okay? …well, my time is running down. It's… time for me to leave. You're… you're going to do a good job. No matter what you do. Everyone will be there for you, okay?"

"Including you?" Frisk prompted.

"…including me." Asriel smiled. "You're my best friend, Frisk. I promise that if I do something stupid like that again, you have every right to retaliate."

Frisk chuckled and nodded. They couldn't comment, however. Their consciousness began to fade. Their eyes shut. Frisk fell backwards.


	39. Kingdom- Shattered

Chapter Ten

 _Shattered_

Something soft and fuzzy touched their shoulder. Frisk opened their eyes and winced. Theirs clothes were torn or burned in multiple areas to match their battered skin. Within them, they could feel their soul. Any moment now, it would shatter into a million pieces. Frisk, now having no use of their eyes whatsoever, turned to their head. Above them knelt Prince Asriel. No horns broke through his soft, fuzzy head. Two round, red eyes looked down at them. His clothes were as perfect and soft as the day he died. Both of them were on soft golden flowers.

Prince Asriel tapped their shoulder again. They could feel his fuzzy fingers through a large rip in the shoulder of their clothes. Their sleeve was nearly torn off. "Frisk?"

Frisk blinked again, though that action gave no reward. "…huh?"

"Can you… can you hear me? Can you s-see me?" Prince Asriel's voice was just as soft, if not as squeaky, as his voice as a flower.

Frisk shook their head. "I… can hear you. Um… I can't tell. Wh-who are you?"

"…I'm Prince Asriel."

"Prince Asriel…? But I thought…"

"I turned back into myself, remember?" Prince Asriel pressed. "Everyone's souls- they turned me back into myself again! …if for a little while. But you didn't wake up for a very long time."

"Where am I?"

"We're still in the garden. We were afraid to move you. Wh-when Mother tried, you stopped moving completely! We thought you were dying!" Prince Asriel squeaked.

"M-mother…? Toriel?" Frisk twitched their arm to try and bring it closer to themselves. It hardly moved an inch.

Queen Toriel knelt beside them. "My child! I am here."

Frisk smiled. "You're alright? Is everyone okay? Where is everyone?" Frisk's fingers curled up in the flower bed to attempt to drag themselves to their feet. They slipped and ended up uprooting a flower.

"Don't move, my child," Queen Toriel murmured and set her hand on Frisk's side. "We are all here. Everyone is just fine."

"Yeah, punk!" Captain Undyne called. "Nothing could take us down!"

Sans smirked, "not on your best day, kid."

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS COULDN'T BE FELLED BY ANYTHING, HUMAN! YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY OVER US!"

Dr. Alphys spoke in her usual whisper, "Yes. We're fine."

King Asgore dipped his massive head toward them. "Young one, we will not leave you."

Frisk's smile widened and they relaxed. "That's… that's so good to hear… to hear you're alright."

Prince Asriel nodded fervently. "Yeah! And even better: the barrier's broken! We can leave! Everyone can go outside, now!"

Frisk's smile faltered and died. "Oh. That's… that's good. I hope you do well."

Prince Asriel's smile died. The mood began to drop. "What? Frisk, we'll do fine. Don't talk like that!"

"Like what?" Frisk muttered and shut their eyes. "Like I'm not going out with you?"

"What? No! Frisk, you're coming with us! I won't let you stay here!" Prince Asriel stated in a firm tone.

Frisk shook their head. "Prince Asriel… I can't move. I can't see. I can hardly hear you. I can hardly feel you. But… I do feel it. Deep inside… I'm weak. I feel… weak." Their voice lost its strength.

"That's okay!" Prince Asriel denied with a shake of his head. "That's okay! Mom can heal you! Sh-she's the best healer out of all us! She can fix anything! R-right mom?"

Queen Toriel hovered her hand over Frisk. Frisk twitched and took a shaky breath. The magic felt warm. Otherwise, nothing happened. "My child…?"

Frisk's eyes opened into slits again. A small smile warmed their features. "Thank you for trying. But I'm alright. It's going to be alright. The barrier's broken and everyone's free now."

Prince Asriel shook his head so quickly he smacked himself with his own ears. "No! No, it's _not_ fine! What about you? Frisk, why are you so calm!?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Frisk prompted. "I'm perfectly happy, Prince Asriel. Not everyone can say that. But… can I ask you something? Please?"

Prince Asriel nodded his head. "Y-yeah! Of course!"

"You said you can't stay the way you are without a soul… When I die, take my soul."

"What? No! I can't do that!" Prince Asriel gasped.

"Please? I can't see you as a flower. You were miserable."

"What about you? You'll certainly die. There's no way…"

Frisk shut their eyes and gritted their teeth in concentration as they attempted to raised their hand up to Prince Asriel. Immediately, the young goat boy took their hand. Frisk relaxed and looked up at him again. "I know. But I'm dead anyway. I don't just want to… go away or something. My body's so weak, you know. I've tried doing everything I can but I couldn't do it. You could, Prince Asriel. I didn't free everyone. You did."

"Are you crazy? I just took the human souls!" Prince Asriel pointed out. "And everyone else's! You couldn't do that, sure, but I could! But you did literally everything else! If I had it my way, We'd have been killed a long time ago- way back in Snowdin- or the Ruins! We wouldn't have gotten anywhere."

"Then that just means we're a good team." Frisk chuckled and shut their eyes again. "See? You do all the hard work and I make sure you don't say anything mean. That's our deal, right?"

"I-I… I can't, though, Frisk."

"Flo- Prince Asriel, you promised me." They looked up at Prince Asriel with a stern expression. "You promised me that you wouldn't be mean."

"I won't be!"

"Then don't say that you can't. You're just being mean to yourself." Frisk relaxed out of that expression again. "You can. You're a beloved soul."

"What if the humans attack us again?" Prince Asriel prompted.

"I'll help you, then, if I can. Not all humans are terrible. Prince Asriel, come here." Frisk shifted onto their side. Prince Asriel immediately leaned down and hugged them. "You'll be alright. You all will. I promise. If anyone messes with you, just tell me, okay? I'll make sure that they won't hurt you! I'll come back as a ghost and… uh… make you talk to them. Haha. Goodbye. I love you guys." They shut their eyes tight. "I love all of you more than anything in the world, okay?"

Queen Toriel wrapped her arms around the two children. King Asgore joined them. Many others bowed their heads in grief to their fallen friend- to a child they had only known for a few days, if that. Eventually, the four hearts that had beat in unison dulled into three. One last breath escaped from Frisk. Their blind eyes closed for good. Their muscles relaxed.

Prince Asriel's eyes opened into slits. A heat, slightly warmer than Frisk's battered body, warmed their chest. Frisk's soul, cracked and immensely weak, warmed the space between them. Prince Asriel bent his head to accept the invitation.

A flash of heat rushed through the small one's body. It was a heat he'd felt only once before. Emotion, harsh but joyous, filled his heart and swelled his chest. He could feel himself change. Horns sprouted from his head. His fingers slimmed. Prince Asriel grew a bit bigger and lankier. He shook his head and opened his bright eyes. His parents looked back into his eyes. Tears ran down his mother's cheeks. Grief kept his father's mouth firmly shut. Prince Asriel gently gathered up Frisk in his arms and stood up. His parents let go and took a step back. Like he had so many, many years ago, Prince Asriel carried the human child. He took a deep breath. The hair on the child's frizzled head moved as his long breath disturbed it.

" _Prince Asriel."_ Frisk's small voice appeared in his head. _"The door's open."_

" _Where would you like to go?"_ Prince Asriel inquired.

" _We're in a national park. Just a bit away from here is a small house. There might be an old man living there, might not. He's really mean, but don't hurt him. He's my great uncle."_

Prince Asriel nodded. "There's a house nearby… a human one. It belongs to Frisk's great uncle. We can stay there as long as we need."

"then what are we waitin' for?" Sans inquired. "let's get out there."

Prince Asriel looked back at his parents. "Shall we?"

King Asgore gave him a tight nod. He wrapped an arm around Queen Toriel, whose chest still heaved and shuttered in muffled sobs, and led them out of the kingdom. Prince Asriel, like so many years ago, carried the child onto human land. Behind him, he could hear people shuffle out. They spoke to one another. All voices were hushed in respect to the dead child.

It was not long before they made it to the small house beyond the barrier. An old man sat in his rocking chair. He stared at his feet. Although he was awake, he did not move. When the monsters came within range of his dull hearing, he looked up. "Wha…?"

Prince Asriel walked in front of his parents, Frisk in his arms. "You know Frisk."

"You found 'em?" The old man staggered to his feet. A look of cool anger masked any compassion he might have felt, if there was any to begin with. "They ran away to join the circus, huh?"

Prince Asriel shook his head. "They ran away from the orphanage. They died nobly."

"Dead?" the old man wheezed and limp toward him. "They- Frisk was a kid!" The old man bristled and looked amongst them. "You killed them, didn't ya? What the hell are you?"

"We didn't kill them," Prince Asriel stated. "They died saving us. We're the monsters that lived under the mountain. I just want you to know that Frisk is held in very high esteem amongst us."

A feeling of happiness not his own sprang forth within him. Prince Asriel stopped himself from smiling.

"Monsters? You think I'd believe that?" The old man's clouded gaze looked about. "Stop with this nonsense. Give 'em back!"

Prince Asriel got down on one knee and presented the limp form of the tattered child. "You are their great uncle. Can you see?"

"Course I can see!" the old man snapped and looked down at the kid. When he noticed that they weren't breathing, they set their hand on their shoulder and then their neck. His anger evaporated. "They're… they're _dead?_ "

Prince Asriel bowed his head. "Yes, sir. They have fallen down. I am sorry for your loss."

"Don't be sorry for me," the old man scoffed. "The little brat's parents are the only ones that matter. Kid ran away. It was inevitable."

King Asgore's teeth glinted in the sunlight as he pulled his lips back in a snarl. Queen Toriel's gaze hardened and narrowed. The depression that had fallen over the monsters began to shift.

"HUMAN!" Lieutenant Papyrus announced as he took a step forward. The old man's gaze snapped to the skeleton. "THAT CHILD HAS DIED! BE RESPECTFUL OF THEM."

"yeah. they defended your abusive ass." Sans huffed. "least you could do is pretend to give a fuck."

" _Don't… please… he's not nice but…"_ Frisk's meek, morose voice whimpered.

Prince Asriel turned his head back. "Stop. Frisk is dead. We mustn't fight their kin, now." He turned back to the old man. "Where are their sisters?"

"The older brat's dead. She accidently shot herself trying to their father. The little tyke is in the orphanage, I guess. Haven't checked for a while. Frisk ran away before the police got there, you know. Don't know how they did it. They always walked funny since they couldn't see two steps in front of them. Bet that snot-nosed brat got help from you then?" Sarcasm dripped from his words like acid. Frisk's hurt was very easily felt.

Prince Asriel got to his feet again and clutched Frisk's body with more force. "We no longer need to speak with you, old man. Frisk was a wonderful child with a creative mind and a beautiful heart."

He sneered, "That did them well, huh? If they had as much sense as they had heart, then they'd be alive."

" _Just… he won't talk to you anymore. People are getting mad at him. Make, uh, sure that no one attacks him. I guess… if I can't go there… can I go back to those yellow flowers under the mountain? Where I met you for the first time?"_

Prince Asriel blinked and then smiled. _"Whatever you say, Frisky."_

Over the months, monsters could find their own niche. Although integration into human society was difficult, almost impossible, they found a way to do it. King

King Asgore, Queen Toriel, and Prince Asriel got to meet with the government of not only the country they were in, but to the other nations as well. Other monster kingdoms were discovered and unburied. The path to peace, though covered in thorns, was going to be overcome.


End file.
